The Lord of the Rings - The Battle for Middle-Earth II by Emir Guvenc

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Prima Games A Division of Random House, Inc. 3000 Lava Ridge Court, Ste. 100 Roseville, CA 95661 1-800-733-3000 www.primagames.com

The Prima Games logo is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Primagames.com is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., registered in the United States. Prima Games is a division of Random House, Inc. © 2006 Electronic Arts Inc. Electronic Arts, EA and the EA logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. All “The Lord of the Rings” related content other than content from the New Line Cinema trilogy of “The Lord of The Rings” films © 2006 The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises (“SZC”). All Rights Reserved. All content from “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy © MMVI New Line Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved. “The Lord of the Rings” and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks or registered trademarks of SZC under license. GameSpy and the “Powered by GameSpy” design are trademarks of GameSpy Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. The NVIDIA logo and “The Way It’s Meant to be Played” logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. EA™ is an Electronic Arts™ brand. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission from Electronic Arts Inc. Product Manager: Mario De Govia Editor: Amanda Peckham Design: Graphic Applications Group Layout: Scott Watanabe Please be advised that the ESRB Ratings icons, “EC”, “E”, “E10+”, “T”, “M”, “AO”, and “RP” are trademarks owned by the Entertainment Software Association, and may only be used with their permission and authority. For information regarding whether a product has been rated by the ESRB, please visit www.esrb.org. For permission to use the Ratings icons, please contact the ESA at esrblicenseinfo.com. Important: Prima Games has made every effort to determine that the information contained in this book is accurate. However, the publisher makes no warranty, either expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, effectiveness, or completeness of the material in this book; nor does the publisher assume liability for damages, either incidental or consequential, that may result from using the information in this book. The publisher cannot provide information regarding game play, hints and strategies, or problems with hardware or software. Questions should be directed to the support numbers provided by the game and device manufacturers in their documentation. Some game tricks require precise timing and may require repeated attempts before the desired result is achieved. ISBN: 0-7615-5312-6 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2005910391 Printed in the United States of America 06 07 08 09 GG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Special Thanks: The author would like to thank Jim Vessella of EALA for all his help throughout this project, as well as the EA QA all-stars: Yong Chong, Brad Fitzpatrick, Justin Hughes, and Mark Zabzdyr for all their input, especially on the factions.

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Chapter 1: Prologue ..............................4

Two-Player:

Minhiriath..........................152

Chapter 2: Introduction.........................5

Argonath............................118

Mount Doom ......................153

Controls.........................................5

Cair Andros ........................119

Osgiliath ............................154

Tips, Notes, & Cautions ..................6

Celduin River......................120

Tower Hills .........................155

Gameplay Modes ...........................6

Dunland.............................121

Weathertop ........................156

Chapter 3: The Factions.........................8

Erebor ................................122

Good ...........................................16

Ettenmoors.........................123

Men .....................................16

Fangorn .............................124

Dwarves...............................25

Forlindon ...........................125

Dagorlad............................158

Elves ....................................31

Gap of Rohan .....................126

Dead Marshes.....................159

Harlindon ..........................127

Mirkwood...........................160

Mordor.................................38

High Pass ...........................128

Rhun..................................161

Isengard...............................44

Iron Hills............................129

Shire ..................................162

Goblins ................................50

Isengard.............................130

Chapter 4: The Campaigns...................56

Ithilien...............................131

Mordor...............................163

Good Campaign ...........................56

Lorien ................................132

Chapter 6: War of the Ring Mode.......164

Mission 1: Rivendell .............56

Redhorn Pass .....................133

Game Types ...............................164

Mission 2: High Pass.............61

Rohan ................................134

War of the Ring ..................164

Mission 3: Ettenmoors ..........66

Tournament Snow ..............135

Sole Survivor ......................164

Mission 4: Blue Mountains....70

Umbar ...............................136

One to Rule Them All..........164

Mission 5: Grey Havens.........75

Withered Heath ..................137

Strongholds ........................164

Evil

Mission 6: Celduin ................78

Three-Player:

Five-Player: Gondor...............................157 Six-Player:

Eight-Player:

Key Concepts..............................166

Mission 7: Erebor..................81

Black Gate..........................138

Chapter 7: Appendices.......................168

Mission 8: Dol Guldur...........84

Grey Havens .......................139

Men Units ..................................170

Evil Campaign..............................88

Harlindon ..........................140

Men Structures ...........................170

Mission 1: Lorien ..................88

Minas Morgul .....................141

Dwarven Units ...........................172

Mission 2: Grey Havens.........91

Rivendell............................142

Dwarven Structures ....................172

Mission 3: The Shire .............94

Four-Player:

Elven Units ................................174

Mission 4: Fornost ................98

Arnor .................................143

Elven Structures .........................174

Mission 5: Mirkwood ..........102

Buckland............................144

Mordor Units .............................176

Mission 6: Withered Heath ..105

Dol Guldur .........................145

Mordor Structures ......................176

Mission 7: Erebor................108

Enedwaith..........................146

Isengard Units............................178

Mission 8: Rivendell ...........111

Forochel .............................147

Isengard Structures.....................178

Chapter 5: Skirmish/ Multiplayer Maps ..............................116

Grey Mountains ..................148

Goblin Units...............................178

Harad ................................149

Goblin Structures........................180

Helm's Deep .......................150

Chapter 8: Art ...................................182

Minas Tirith .......................151

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PROLOGUE The Battle in the North

The Battle for Middle-earth II FAQs The following collection of frequently asked questions is designed to help you get a better feel for what The Lord of the Rings™, The Battle for Middle-earth II™ is all about.

As the southern lands of Middle-earth shudder beneath the onslaught of Mordor and Isengard, and the Ring-Bearer continues on his perilous quest to destroy the object of Sauron’s murderous desire, the northern lands face their own time of testing. Besieged not only by Sauron’s maleficent forces but also by those of goblin-kind, the Elves, Dwarves, and men of the north soon find the War of the Ring on their very doorstep.

NOTE The Battle for Middle-earth II is set far to the north of the events that took place in the first BFME. These events have only been touched upon in the written works of J.R.R. Tolkien (the creator of The Lord of the Rings), and this is the first time they’ve been visualized on this scale.

Q: What is The Lord of the Rings™, The Battle for Middle-earth II™? A: The follow-up to EA’s original real-time strategy (RTS) game takes on the rest of the The Lord of the Rings saga set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythical world of Middle-earth. Q: What platform is it for? A: Windows PC Q: What’s changed from the first Battle for Middleearth game? A: The game is cut more from a traditional RTS mold than its predecessor. This has increased the depth and complexity of the gameplay (especially in Multiplayer mode) and extended the replay value a great deal. Beyond that, there’s a muchimproved graphics engine (the water is spectacular, for one), and the new War of the Ring mode brings a whole new twist to the RTS genre. Q: How can there be a sequel to a game that already covered the War of the Ring? A: This isn’t a sequel in the strictest sense. The events in BFMEII take place at the same time as the events in the first game, but the setting has changed. While BFME focused on the events covered in great detail in the books and the feature films, the plot of BFME2 takes the action to the northern lands of Middle-earth, where the War of the Ring raged with vigor equal to that of its southern counterpart. Q: So does that mean that Aragorn, Gimli, Gandalf, and co. aren’t in it? A: They are not in the single-player Campaign mode, but they are still available to play in the Skirmish and Multiplayer modes, so you will be able to play with your favorite heroes (and villains) from the first game.

Q: I don’t remember anybody talking about a war in the northern lands in the movies—what gives? A: The events that involve the setting for this game were touched on in the original novels upon which the films are based. The films didn’t include any mention of these events.

Glossary You can find the following terms scattered throughout this guide and the game. We’ve compiled the more esoteric ones for easy reference: AREA OF EFFECT (AOE): Any attack that does damage

to an area beyond that of a single unit, usually defined as a radius of a given size. COMMAND LIMIT: The ceiling at which you cannot build any more units. COMMAND POINTS: Points that must be earned through the building of resource structures. They allow you to build more units, with each unit costing a set number of points. HEROES: Super-charged units that act, essentially, as field generals. They are much more powerful than other units and possess the ability to turn the tide of a battle in your favor. PALANTÍR: The screen element to the lower left that contains the mini-map, command points/command limit, resource amount, etc. This is also the stone that Saruman used to spy with, which Gandalf recovered at the beginning of The Return of the King in the feature films. POWER POINTS: Points earned that can be spent on powers (by defeating enemies and destroying structures). POWERS: The specific special abilities that you may call to your aid. These may be “purchased” via the Palantír but are limited by the number of power points you have earned and/or by criteria in the Campaign mode. RESOURCES: The raw material from which all structures and units are purchased—you generate more by building resource structures (mines, slaughterhouses, etc.). RTS: An abbreviation for real-time strategy, the genre of game to which The Battle for Middleearth II belongs. UNITS: Any of the myriad forces under your control, from heroes to individual battalions of soldiers.

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Introduction

INTRODUCTION One Guide to Bind Them…

Controls

Selection and Control Commands Action Select a unit Add a unit to selection Select a group of units

Welcome to Prima’s Official Game Guide for Electronic Arts’ The Lord of the Rings™, The Battle for Middle-earth II™ (BFMEII). This book holds all the information you need to help the forces of the northern lands wage war on those who would claim the Ring for themselves. Unlike the previous Battle for Middle-earth game, this iteration focuses on the war to the north, featuring a glimpse of Middle-earth never before offered in interactive form. This guide covers everything, beginning with the basics of how a real-time strategy (RTS) game plays in general and how to play BFMEII in particular. Complete walkthroughs steer you through both campaigns, and numerous maps cover all the various locales you battle across, spanning the campaigns and the multiplayer areas. Specific sections include:

• An introduction to the gameplay of Battle for Middle-earth II, covering everything from combat to resource management to structure building—and everything in between. Think of this as an über-tutorial that enables you to hit the ground running. • In-depth coverage of each of the six factions (three Good, three Evil). This section includes complete unit listings and complete structure data as well as tips on how best to implement this information. It also covers the heroes and abilities associated with each faction. • Full-blown walkthroughs of the Good and Evil campaigns. These lead you step by step through each map of each campaign, carrying you to victory in record time. • A complete collection of maps for the Skirmish mode, featuring all the maps in both the regular and collector editions of the game. These are excellent for getting a full lay of the land and figuring out how to plot your next conquest. • An overview of the War of the Ring mode and what it entails, complete with tips on how best to unite Middle-earth under one banner—yours.

Select all on-screen units of a type Select all units on the map that match current selection Select all combat units on the map Define selected units as a group Select numbered group Select and jump to numbered group Jump to last mini-map event Scroll the screen

Rapid scroll Rally point for structure All new units rally to same destination Lasso units Select all heroes Jump to primary Fortress Select nearest Builder Set aggressive stance Set battle stance Set hold ground stance Demolish building Toggle planning mode Formation preview

Input Click

S + left-click a new unit Left-click and drag box around desired units E or double-click Click unit and double-tap E Tap Q once

C + number Tap number Double-tap number

z Hit arrow keys or move the mouse to the edge of the screen Right-click and drag mouse Click structure and right-click destination on battlefield Click structure, then S + right-click destination on battlefield Click and hold mouse while pressing C

O H B Select units and press D Select units and press F Select units and press G

D Z Select units and hold both mouse buttons

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Tips, Notes, & Cautions

Unit Modes Action Attack-move mode Stop selected units Set waypoints for units

Input Tap A and right-click location

S a + right-click for each

TIP Tips contain juicy nuggets of helpful info for the immediate task at hand; for example, “Archers are easy prey for melee units, so keep them at a safe distance while they launch volleys at incoming foes.”

waypoint Select units and left-click Stance icon in Palantír

Select unit stance

Screens & Pop-ups Action Toggle Palantír and mini-map Open Pause menu Capture screenshot Toggle Powers menu Toggle Objectives menu

Input

9 q ~ t

NOTE A note points out some matter of interest or simply serves as a reminder or reinforcement of a previously introduced concept, e.g. “Remember: you can only have as many units as your total Command Point limit allows, short of gaming the system by letting some units perish.”

Cameras Action Set bookmark for camera Jump to camera bookmark Jump to hero Rotate camera left or right

Zoom camera

Reset camera to default position

C1—8 1—8 Double-click hero portrait at bottom of screen Keypad 4 or keypad 6, or hold and drag the middle mouse wheel left or right Keypad 8 or keypad 2, or hold and drag the middle mouse wheel up or down Keypad 5 or double-click middle mouse wheel

Multiplayer Action Chat with everyone

Input Press e , type your message, and press e again

Chat with allies Place beacon

B C+B, then left-click to place beacon

Toggle Multiplayer Status and Tribute menu

CAUTION

Input

Cautions are important. Their sole purpose is to warn you away from a dangerous course of action that could end with a “game over” screen rather than leading you to victory. Pay special attention to these warnings!

Gameplay Modes Battle for Middle-earth II features a huge array of gameplay modes. It’s highly recommended that beginner and returning players spend time on the tutorials to familiarize themselves with the vast options (much has changed since the last version; play through the tutorials even if you’re a veteran).

Tutorials BASIC If you’ve never played an RTS game before, make this your first stop in the game. The basic tutorial gives you an excellent grounding in how the genre plays and covers a lot of ground for BFMEII in particular.

ADVANCED Even if you’re a seasoned veteran of the first BFME, play through this tutorial to gain added insight into several all-new functions built into this version. Newbies should definitely play this as well.

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Introduction

WAR OF THE RING

Multiplayer

This all-new mode plays much like The Lord of the Rings meets Risk, with the armies of Middle-earth battling it out for control of the world. Unlike last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful world map, this time around you interact in a very meaningful way with the map.

For many, this is the main attraction of the game. From here you can launch multiplayer games across a LAN or the Internet, demonstrating (once and for all) who truly rules Middle-earth.

Solo Play Solo play encompasses four different game modes: Skirmish, War of the Ring, Evil Campaign, and Good Campaign. Each mode features its own twist on the gameplay contained within. Each mode is discussed in great detail in their respective sections in this guide.

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THE FACTIONS NOTE We strongly recommend that you play the in-game tutorials as well as read the chapters for the two Campaign modes to get the most out of this guide and the game.

One Faction to Rule Them All

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The Factions

The world of Battle for Middle-earth II is split into six warring factions, each aligned with one of two sides: good or evil. The good factions (Men of the West, Dwarves, and Elves) fight to end the unholy reign of Sauron and his allies (Mordor, Isengard, and the goblins). The focus of this chapter is not only to explain the various strengths and weaknesses of each faction, but also to display every unit and structure available to each, as well as to provide data on the various powers at your disposal.

FACTION RANKING Though each faction has its advantages and disadvantages, there is a ranking system that indicates how easy it is for a new player to use a given group: 1. Mordor 2. Goblins 3. Dwarves 4. Men of the West/Isengard 5. Elves This means that, starting with Mordor, each successive faction in the list above requires more skill to play adequately. Beginners should stick with Mordor and the goblins, then gradually work their way down the list. One special note about the Elves: They are for experts only and require the ability to stay in a battle for a long time; it takes a while for their full power to become apparent, due to a reliance on heroes and upgraded Archers.

Naturally, the higher the tier, the more powerful that particular power is considered for that faction (there is some interplay between tiers and factions; a tier 1 power for some factions might be tier 2 in another). Another important point about powers is that you can only select an ability in the second tier as long as a power in the preceding tier links to it. For example, for Mordor, if you take Tainted Land, you gain access only to Barricade and Untamed Allegiance. If you want the tier 2 abilities Industry or Arrow Volley, you must first choose Eye of Sauron or War Chant. One last note on selecting powers: A lot of abilities at the command of your heroes overlap with powers that you can purchase. If a hero supplies you with a given effect, think about purchasing the same power (an example of this is taking Arrow Volley, which your Ithilien Rangers can already perform). That way, you can double up on a power. However, this can be a waste of resources in certain situations, and you would be better served by purchasing a different power.

Good Powers Heal Heals units and replaces one dead man per battalion.

Powers

Heal is a good, all-around power that’s especially valuable when you’re using massive numbers of units in one large assault. It’s not as useful, however, on a single battalion.

Elven Gifts

Men vs. Mordor Each faction has a legion of special powers at its command, provided it can build up sufficient power points to purchase them. These points are accrued simply: The more enemy units and structures you destroy, the more rapidly you earn points to purchase more powers. These powers range from the ultradestructive to various summoning abilities, as well as a handful that are designed for propping up various non-combat situations. Powers come in four tiers, with each succeeding tier costing more points and, in turn, requiring more time to recharge after each use: Tier 1: 3-minute recharge; 5 points per power Tier 2: 6-minute recharge; 10 points per power Tier 3: 9-minute recharge; 15 points per power Tier 4: 12-minute recharge; 20 points per power

Heroes gain a permanent increase to their damage. Note: this is available only in the Good campaign. You eventually have enough points to earn all of the powers, but acquire Elven Gifts early on.

Lone Tower Permanently summons a Tower that fires projectiles at nearby enemies. Note: this is available for Men of the West and Dwarves only. Lone Tower is a fairly weak power and is not recommended—the actual Battle Towers your Builders can construct are much more powerful and resilient.

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Enshrouding Mist

Farsight Reveals a large area of the map. All stealth and camouflaged units become visible. Note: this is available for Elves only. Any power or ability that reveals parts of the map that would otherwise remain under cover of darkness is a power you want to have access to—the earlier the better.

Creates a mist that camouflages any friendly units within its radius and reduces enemy armor and damage by 25 percent. Note: this is available for Elves only. Any power that de-buffs an enemy is a good one to have in your repertoire; the applications are numerous, from overpowering a foe to weakening one that’s threatening to end your reign. While the invisibility is a nice bonus, you really want this for its ability reduction.

Dwarven Riches Rallying Call Grants an armor and damage boost to selected units. Note: this is available for Dwarves only. General buffs such as this one are good for bolstering the strength of the units under its effect. It's especially suitable to use when time is short and you need to destroy something immediately.

When cast on a Mine Shaft, this power increases resource collection. Note: this is available for Dwarves only. The Dwarven Riches ability can be useful on maps with either limited space for building resource structures or in cases where you can’t seem to claim enough land because your foe keeps destroying your resource structures.

Rebuild Automatically rebuilds a targeted friendly structure. Note: this is available for Men of the West and Dwarves only. Rebuild is a good power to pick up later in the game when you’re potentially under the knife and about to give up the ghost. It buys you a quick reprieve, but don’t grab it until you see a problem coming.

Summon Men of Dale When this power is used, several battalions of Men of Dale appear in a designated location. Note: this is available for Dwarves only.

Arrow Volley

The various summoning abilities at your command can be a great boon, since once you remove the shroud in a given area, you can drop the summoned beings anywhere you like. Summon Men of Dale is also excellent to use when you want to place enemy forces in a vise or cut off their escape.

Launches a volley of arrows anywhere on the map. Note: this is available for Men of the West and Elves only.

Summon Rohan Allies

The devastating Arrow Volley power is useful against various enemy units. Nabbing this power and then using it on level 1, freshly produced units at your foe’s base is especially effective. It can also work well after you take down a Fortress in order to wipe out Builders that might be hiding on the map somewhere.

Summons a group of Rohirrim to the battlefield. Note: this is available for Men of the West only. Just as with Summon Men of Dale, Summon Rohan Allies is excellent for positioning your units around enemy forces to trap them in a vise maneuver or to prevent them from escape.

Cloud Break Bad weather is banished by a burst of sunshine or moon glow that stuns enemies on the battlefield. Cloud Break can be extremely useful in many situations; a stunned enemy can’t attack or retreat. Use this to finish off foes or to buy time for your own escape.

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The Factions

Elven Wood When a target area is selected, an Elven wood appears. This adds a boost for the forces of good and removes all Leadership bonuses for the forces of evil. Note: this is available for Elves only. The fantastic power of Elven Wood is unique to the Elves. Using it not only boosts your armor and damage output, but also strips all Leadership bonuses your foes might be enjoying. This ability can turn the tide of a losing battle almost instantly and is definitely must-have material.

Call Tom Bombadil Summons Tom Bombadil, the mysterious stranger who saved the hobbits in the Barrow Downs, to the battlefield with surprisingly devastating effect. Note: this is available for Men of the West and Elves only. Tom Bombadil, in particular, is a very powerful summoning ability and can wreak havoc against normal units. This ability is also good for opening up the map.

Summon Ent Allies

Summon Dunedain Allies

Instantly summons the Ents to the battlefield. Note: this is available for Elves only.

Summons several battalions of Dunedain Rangers to the battlefield. Note: this is available for Men of the West only.

After removing the shroud in your opponent's base, use Summon Ent Allies to wreak havoc on their structures or destroy their Fortress entirely.

Army of the Dead Instantly summons the Army of the Dead to attack the enemy. Note: this is available for Men of the West only. Summoned allies work well when you’d like to catch enemy forces in a vise or cut off their escape. This particular summoning ability has a devastating effect—if you’re fighting against it, good luck…

Summon Eagle Allies Instantly summons Giant Eagles to the battlefield. Note: this is available for Elves only. To get the jump on an unaware enemy, use a summoning ability to remove the shroud in a given area, then drop in your summoned allies to trap your enemy in a surprise vise maneuver. This is also helpful when trying to prevent a foe from escaping a losing battle.

Exploit the various benefits the Dunedain Rangers can bring to the fray on your behalf. Drop these units into a particularly difficult battle and trap your enemy.

Undermine Causes any Tunnel entrance connected with the rest of the Dwarven Tunnel network to appear on any pathable location. Note: this is available for Dwarves only. Dropping an entrance in or near an enemy camp with this ability lets you pour forth legions of troops, devastating the camp.

Barrage A rain of boulders descends upon the enemy. Note: this is available for Dwarves and Mordor only. Barrage is a debilitating attack, but you must be very careful to not cast it near allied forces, as they’ll be as wrecked as your foes. This is a fantastic power for weakening and/or outright destroying enemy structures. There is a slight delay in execution, so don’t use it on moving targets.

Summon Hobbit Friends Summons a team of hobbits, including Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam, to fight for your cause. Note: this is available for Men of the West and Dwarves only. Summoning abilities can be extremely helpful in situations where you have spread yourself a bit thin and need a few more extra units to pick up the slack. Use Summon Hobbit Friends to deposit this trusty pack of hobbits into the thick of battle, or, even better, to sneak up behind a distracted enemy.

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Evil Powers War Chant Earthquake Causes an earthquake that does extreme damage to enemy structures. Note: this is available for Men of the West and Dwarves only. As with Barrage, this is a fantastic ability for destroying enemy structures. Combo this with Barrage to do serious damage to an enemy Fortress, or use it on its own to lay waste to a very large section of an opposing army. There is a slight delay in execution, so don’t use it on moving targets.

Targeted troops gain a boost to their armor and damage output. Note: this is available for Isengard and goblins only. As with all buffs, War Chant is a good bet for overpowering a group of foes. Your units gain a 50 percent boost to damage and armor for the duration of the power’s effect.

Barricade

Summon Citadel

This power creates a defensive stronghold anywhere on the map. Note: this is available for Mordor only.

Instantly builds a Citadel Fortress at a selected location. Note: this is available for Dwarves only.

Barricade is a fairly weak power and is not recommended. Untamed Allegiance is far more useful.

A very nasty power, Summon Citadel plants an extremely hardy Citadel wherever you like. This can be instrumental in taking down a foe’s Fortress; set it nearby and watch it go to work.

Crebain

Flood

A massive cloud of crows appears in the sky at a selected location. The crows reveal stealth units and reduce the armor and attack power of nearby enemies. Note: this is available for Isengard only.

Causes a horse-shaped rush of water that inflicts damage on enemies and extinguishes nearby fires. Note: this is available for Elves only.

If you suspect your opponent of trying to sneak some hidden units past you, use Crebain to reveal any stealth units that may be present on the map.

Flood is a decent ability, but if it comes down to this and Sun Flare (both are 25-point, tier 4 powers), go with the latter.

Cave Bats

Sun Flare Calls a fiery beam of sunlight that clears the weather and scorches the battlefield. Note: this is available for Elves only. A devastating, fire-based attack, Sun Flare lays waste to anything it touches. This is the best tier 4 power the Elves can command—worth every penny of its high cost.

This power creates a cloud of cave bats in the sky at a selected location. The cave bats reveal stealth units and reduce the armor and attack power of nearby enemies. Note: this is available for goblins only. Call forth Cave Bats early on in a mission to reveal as much of the map as possible until they’re destroyed or their duration ends. Its secondary ability to de-buff enemy units is less important.

Industry When targeted with Industry, Furnaces and Slaughterhouses produce resources at higher levels for a period of time. Note: this is available for Isengard only. The Industry ability provides a permanent 300 percent increase in the resource output of a given structure. If that structure is destroyed, however, you lose the bonus.

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The Factions

Untamed Allegiance Allows the player to take control of target lair and recruit the associated unit. Note: this is available for Mordor and goblins only. On maps with Fire Drakes, Untamed Allegiance is extremely important. If there is a Fire Drake Lair, you’ll want this power above all others so that you can seize the lair and put one of the most deadly units in the game to work.

Arrow Volley Launches a volley of arrows anywhere on the map. Note: this is available for Mordor only. The devastating Arrow Volley power is effective against various enemy units. Nabbing this power and then using it on level 1, freshly produced units at your foe’s base can be devastating. It can be especially useful after you take down a Fortress to wipe out Builders that might be hiding on the map.

Palantír Vision Reveals the map in a target area. Note: this is available for Isengard only. The value of abilities that allow you to uncover shrouded parts of the map can’t be stressed enough. The only question is whether or not, at this point in the game, it makes sense to purchase this power.

Devastation All wood in a forested area is instantly cut down and turned into resources. Note: this is available for Isengard only. Devastation is a fantastic ability if you need a lot of resources in very short order. However, by the time you can afford this, you likely won’t need it unless you’re looking to seriously upgrade your base. Also be wary of maps that aren’t heavily forested, as choosing this could be a rather large mistake.

Summon Wild Men of Dunland Several hordes of Wild Men of Dunland appear at a specified location. Note: this is available for Isengard only. Summoning abilities can be a great advantage, since once you remove the shroud in a given area, you can drop the summoned beings anywhere you like. Calling in some summoned allies and dropping them in are also excellent for placing enemy forces in a vise or cutting off their escape.

Freezing Rain Good units lose all Leadership bonuses throughout the map. Note: this is available for Isengard only. Freezing Rain is wonderful for slowing down the leveling of enemy troops and stripping them of their buffs. It’s especially useful if you’re storming an enemy base and they’re relying on the buffs Leadership supplies to their units.

Summon Spiderlings Several hordes of Spiderlings crawl out of the earth at a specified location. Note: this is available for goblins only. The various summoning abilities at your command can be a great boon, since once you remove the shroud in a given area, you can drop the summoned beings anywhere you like. Summoned allies are also excellent to call in for placing enemy forces in a vise or cutting off their escape.

Scavengers Killed enemy units are scavenged for additional resources. Note: this is available for goblins only. This resource-boosting ability may have questionable overall value because of how goblins usually employ rapid strikes early on. That said, if you find yourself in a protracted fight and low on resources, use Scavengers to devastating effect.

Fuel the Fires Wood as a resource becomes twice as productive in Lumber Mills. Note: this is available for Isengard only. Another resource-boosting power, Fuel the Fires can come in handy in rare situations, but you can find better uses for the points this ability would absorb.

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TIP Tainted Lands An area of terrain is burned and blackened, providing an armor and damage bonus to all allied units. Note: this is available for Mordor and goblins only. This is a must-have ability for Mordor and the goblins because of its buffing effects on any units in its grasp. It has more utility than Eye of Sauron since it covers a much wider area, despite its lack of an experience boost.

The Balrog does tremendous area-ofeffect damage, so you can seriously weaken enemy structures or take out a huge number of enemy units.

Summon Dragon Summons the fire-breathing dragon to the battlefield. Note: this is available for Isengard and goblins only.

Eye of Sauron The Eye of Sauron is called, revealing invisible enemy troops. The units of Mordor receive an armor and damage bonus. Note: this is available for Mordor only. Eye of Sauron is a fantastic power for boosting experience gain and buffing armor and damage output. This ability, along with War Chant and Tainted Land, makes for some pretty nasty tier 1 powers.

Darkness A dark cloud rolls across Middle-earth, granting your units a combat bonus. Note: this is available for Mordor and goblins only. This plunges the map into darkness, removing your foe’s ability to see precisely what’s going on. Darkness also boosts your armor and damage output by 50 percent (for all units), which makes it a very valuable power indeed.

Summon Balrog Instantly summons the Balrog to the battlefield. Note: this is available for Mordor and goblins only. Use Summon Balrog to instantly deposit this vicious foe into the midst of your enemy’s camp. Also, try this ability when you want to force your enemy away from one area and toward impending doom, such as a hidden contingent of units.

While the dragon’s flaming breath is deadly, having him land on foes is far more productive. Double his destructive potential by having him swoop in on a group of land units, then spray his fiery breath on the surviving units.

Awaken Wyrm This foul, flightless dragon emerges from underground, breathing fire and lashing out at any nearby target. Note: this is available for Mordor and goblins only. The fear-inducing qualities of the Wyrm should not be underestimated. Bring Awaken Wyrm out in a pinch to force your enemy into a waiting phalanx of your own units, trapping them in a vise maneuver.

Summon Watcher in the Water A giant kraken, similar to the one found in the waters outside of Moria, instantly appears, felling enemies with its terrible tentacles and devouring its panicking prey. Note: this is available for Isengard and goblins only. Use Summon Watcher in the Water to devastate your opponent. Back your enemy up against the edge of a body of water, then summon the Watcher and watch it strike down its unassuming prey.

Dragon Strike Summons a giant dragon to fly overhead, breathing a vile stream of fire over all who flee below. Note: this is available for Isengard only. This deadly attack is a nightmare for units and structures, and it could be more valuable than Summon Dragon in the long run because the area of effect is devastating.

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The Factions

Rain of Fire A giant fireball drops out of the sky and hits the center of a specified area, inflicting grave damage. Note: this is available for Mordor only. This staggeringly powerful attack casts down fiery hell on your opponent. Not only is it good for laying waste to large quantities of units (this is essentially the evil version of Earthquake), but it’s also a fabulous way to raze large numbers of enemy structures. Combine this with an assault on a foe’s base, and they’ll likely not know which way is up or down (fire scalding your lungs will generally have that effect on someone).

NOTE One final note on powers: The Campaign mode mixes and matches abilities from all three factions of either good or evil.

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GOOD RACES Men of the West Overview WHY PLAY THE MEN OF THE WEST? 1. The many heroes available to the Men of the West make them a force to be reckoned with. The fact that half the contingent can earn the Leadership ability is a huge advantage. Also, most of them can gain mounts that allow them to act as Cavalry units. 2. The Cavalry of the Men of the West is second to none. Because many heroes can gain mounts, you also get access to the Rohirrim, which makes for a very nasty shock troop unit against infantry units such as Warriors and Archers. 3. The Ithilien Rangers’ Longshot ability can be devastating from both a pure damage standpoint and as a demoralizer for your enemy. It forces your foes to constantly be wary of attack and leaves them unable to park units anywhere the shroud has been pushed back. Combine this with the Ivory Tower’s ability to reveal the shroud for 30 seconds and you have a superb combination attack.

The Men of the West are one of the more complex factions you can play, due to the sheer number of structures and units at its command. There are vastly more units, structures, and especially heroes available to the Men of the West than just about any other faction. This level of complexity can make for a daunting experience when you start out because there are so many options to explore. That said, a few paths should be covered by anybody wanting to lead the people of Gondor and Rohan to victory. First off, the number of heroes is staggering. Many have access to the Leadership skill, though the level they earn it at depends on the hero in question (please see the “Heroes” section for more info). This means the Men of the West have a shortcut to rapid leveling up of new units, especially when near a lair. Naturally, this Leadership edge carries over to the entire battle. They also possess a tremendous advantage in the Cavalry department. While the Elves, for example, excel at archery, the Men of the West can run roughshod over any foes they encounter, forcing your enemy to invest in Pikemen. This gives you another edge: When you race in to face down your enemies, you’re likely to know what’s coming. That way you can have your heroes dismount and take their Pikemen hand to hand.

POWERS: MEN OF THE WEST TIER 1 Heal Rallying Call Rebuild

TIER 3 Summon Dunedain Allies Cloud Break Rohan Allies

TIER 2 Summon Hobbit Friends Arrow Volley Summon Tom Bombadil Lone Tower

TIER 4 Army of the Dead Earthquake

Recommended power selection: 1. Rallying Call 2. Summon Tom Bombadil

3. Cloud Break 4. Army of the Dead

Heroes Théoden Shortcut: T Cost: 1200

Théoden increases the rate at which nearby units gain experience and provides a Leadership boost to nearby allies. He’s a very good choice as your first hero because he imbues surrounding forces with a Leadership bonus. This bonus increases your rate of experience accrual and boosts your armor and attack power. This is unlike the other heroes, who have to earn this ability by leveling up a bit.

ABILITIES Mount Required Rank: 1 Duration: N/A Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: M

Théoden can mount and dismount his horse at rank 1. This imbues him with all the abilities of a Cavalry unit, though upgraded to heroic levels.

The Factions

Outlaw Leadership

Leadership Required Rank: 1 Duration: Always on Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Required Rank: 2 Duration: Constant Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: N/A

At rank 1 Théoden provides a Leadership buff to nearby troops. As with all heroes, keep Théoden near other units so that they share in the benefits that Leadership provides.

Upon reaching rank 2, Éomer and all nearby friendly units earn resources for each enemy unit killed. Larger and more powerful enemies result in higher resource bonuses.

Glorious Charge

Spear Throw

Required Rank: 4 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: C

Required Rank: 5 Duration: Instant Recharge: 300 seconds Shortcut: W

Upon rank 4, Théoden and all nearby Cavalry only suffer 10 percent damage. Units in the charge maintain crushing momentum longer. King’s Favor

This powerful spear throw does 400 points of hero damage to an enemy.

Éowyn Shortcut: Y Cost: 1200

Required Rank: 6 Duration: Instant Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: R

The niece of Théoden is the match of any soldier in combat. Her spear can fell the dark creatures of Middle-earth.

Upon rank 6, Théoden can target an area, giving all friendly units in that area +50 experience, which can be a huge benefit because it levels up lower-level units.

Éomer Shortcut: E Cost: 1000

The young captain of Rohan can inflict terrible damage through the tip of his mighty spear. All nearby horsemen receive Leadership bonuses and earn resources for conquered enemies.

ABILITIES Mount

ABILITIES Smite Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 100 seconds Shortcut: T

Smite is a powerful spear throw that does 1000 damage to a single target. Mount Required Rank: 3 Duration: Instant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: M

Éowyn can mount and dismount her horse at rank 3.

Required Rank: 1 Duration: N/A Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: M

Disguise Required Rank: 4 Duration: Constant Recharge: 100 seconds Shortcut: I

Éomer can mount and dismount his horse at rank 1. This imbues him with all the abilities of a Cavalry unit, though upgraded to heroic levels.

Upon rank 4, Éowyn can disguise herself as a normal Rohirrim.

Horse Lord

Shield Maiden

Required Rank: 1 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Required Rank: 5 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: L

At rank 1 Éomer provides a Leadership buff to nearby Cavalry. As with all heroes, keep Éomer near other units so that they share in the benefits that Leadership provides.

Upon rank 5, Éowyn can temporarily give herself +65 percent armor.

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ABILITIES Horn of Gondor

Gandalf Shortcut: G Cost: 3000

Gandalf gains access to an arsenal of special Istari powers. Use his Word of Power to blast back surrounding enemies.

Once Horn of Gondor is cast, all enemy units in the vicinity flee for 30 seconds.

ABILITIES

Leadership

Wizard Blast Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 30 seconds Shortcut: W

Required Rank: 5 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

This close-range attack blasts enemies away from you.

At rank 5 Boromir provides a Leadership buff to nearby units. As with all heroes, keep him near other units so that they share in the benefits that Leadership provides.

Lightning Sword

Captain of Gondor

Required Rank: 2 Duration: Instant Recharge: 240 seconds Shortcut: T

A chain-lightning attack, Lightning Sword does 160 points of magic and/or fire damage to targets.

Required Rank: 7 Duration: Instant Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: C

Upon rank 7, Boromir can give targeted units +50 experience.

Aragorn

Mount

Shortcut: A Cost: 2000

Required Rank: 4 Duration: Instant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: M

At rank 5 Gandalf can mount/dismount Shadowfax. Istari Light Required Rank: 7 Duration: Instant Recharge: 900 seconds Shortcut: I

A single attack with Istari Light does 2000 points of damage. Word of Power Required Rank: 10 Duration: Instant Recharge: 360 seconds Shortcut: R

With Word of Power, Gandalf sends out a shockwave that kills surrounding enemies.

Boromir

With a shout of Elendil, Aragorn can cause the enemy to flee in terror. He can heal nearby heroes and summon a party of Oathbreakers to fulfill a service to him.

ABILITIES Athelas Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: T

Athelas heals nearby friendly heroes. Blade Master Required Rank: 2 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: R

Blade Master grants Aragorn +100 percent damage and +100 percent armor.

Shortcut: R Cost: 1250

Leadership

Fiercely proud of his people, Boromir can blow the Horn of Gondor to inspire fear in all nearby enemies.

Required Rank: 2 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: R

Required Rank: 4 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

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The Factions

At rank 4 Aragorn provides a Leadership buff to nearby units. This ability provides a 50 percent boost to armor and damage output and doubles experience gain.

At rank 6 Boromir provides a Leadership buff to nearby units. This ability provides a 50 percent boost to armor and damage output and doubles experience gain.

Elendil

Captain of Gondor

Required Rank: 6 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: E

Required Rank: 7 Duration: Instant Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: C

Upon rank 5, Aragorn can cause enemies to flee in fear.

Upon rank 7, Faramir can give targeted units +50 experience.

Oathbreakers

Units

Required Rank: 10 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 360 seconds Shortcut: K

Builder Shortcut: L

Upon rank 10, Aragorn can summon a horde of the Army of the Dead to his aid.

Faramir Shortcut: F Cost: 1200

This loyal craftsman of Gondor can build a wide variety of structures. These units are responsible for building all of the structures in the game and can only be produced at a Fortress. If they all perish and you don’t have a Fortress, you’re in a tight spot, so always keep one safe.

As a Captain of Gondor, Faramir is both a Ranger and a Knight. He can use the bow and sword with equal skill.

TIP

ABILITIES In Multiplayer games where you have an ally, always send a Builder to your ally’s base at the outset of a match.

Toggle Weapon Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: T

This ability toggles Faramir’s weapon between bow and sword. Required Rank: 2 Duration: Instant Recharge: 300 seconds Shortcut: W

When gathered in formation, the soldiers of Gondor are a stout fighting force.

A single attack, Wounding Arrow does 500 damage to a target and causes monsters to flee. Knight/Ranger Required Rank: 3 Duration: Instant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: R

Required Rank: 6 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

These are the backbone melee unit of the Men of the West. They aren’t the most spectacular of combat units (at least, not until you upgrade them with better weapons and armor), but they’re relatively cheap and can be used to run interference until you can get more impressive units on the field.

Gondor Tower Guard Shortcut: T

This ability allows Faramir to switch between being mounted and being on foot. Leadership

Gondor Soldier Shortcut: D

Wounding Arrow

Gondor Tower Guards focus their skill on spearing monsters and enemy Cavalry. If it comes down to building standard Gondor Soldiers or Tower Guards, it’s best to go with Tower Guards every time. While they cost more, they are significantly more powerful and more versatile—they can stop Cavalry and monsters much quicker—and also have a much longer reach.

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You can also put Tower Guards in a highly fortified defensive position known as the Porcupine formation (M). In this stance, they stand in a circle, pikes pointed out to fend off encroaching attackers. This is a good tactic for keeping an overwhelmed unit alive until help can arrive. This is a stop-gap, however, and it won’t preserve them indefinitely.

Gondor Archer Shortcut: C

These upgraded Archers are not only more powerful than their standard-issue brethren, but they also gain the ability to melt into the background of wooded settings, effectively rendering them invisible and impossible to target until a foe is on top of them. Even without that edge, they are a better archery unit to employ if you have the resources available to fund them. This is doubly true when they’ve been upgraded with Fire Arrows. They also gain the Longshot ability, which allows them to target any open area not covered by the shroud on the map. This can be a particular burr in the side of freshly built enemy units that aren’t being watched over carefully by your foes.

Archers of Gondor can work well with a group of Soldiers or on their own. They are accurate and persistent. The versatility of Archers in BFMEII makes them among the most valuable unit types in the game. While these are merely standard Archers, when equipped with Fire Arrows their destructive potential is vastly increased. Couple that with their Bombard ability (R) and they can be used to devastate packs of enemies that are caught up against melee units.

NOTE There is some lag on targeting and firing with the Longshot ability, so don’t try to hit moving units with it.

• You can train Ithilien Rangers only at a level 2 Archery Range.

Gondor Knight Shortcut: K

These champions of the West can crush opponents when moving at full speed. Cavalry units are spectacularly devastating; their only overarching concern is the presence of Pikemen-type units. They can simply stampede over melee and missilebased attackers, crushing them in short order or scattering them so that they are unable to attack for a time (so that your melee units can move in and finish the job).

TIP Cavalry should always be used as either a blitzkrieg-style maneuver at the outset of a confrontation or be brought in to flank and destroy a previously engaged enemy unit.

Ithilien Ranger Shortcut: R

These elite Archers become invisible in wooded areas and can fire a volley of arrows anywhere on the map.

Rohirrim Shortcut: R

The elite horsemen of Rohan can swap between bows and pikes. Rohirrim can crush the opposition when moving at full speed. Not only are Rohirrim an upgraded version of the Gondor Knight, imparting upon them all the abilities of a standard Cavalry unit, but they can also swap between blades and bows, making them even more useful in myriad situations (you cannot, however, upgrade them with Fire Arrows). That being said, their primary strength still lies in the stampede and crush arena.

• You can train Rohirrim only at a level 2 Stables.

Trebuchet Shortcut: R

A Trebuchet can hurl a large stone or flaming projectile long distances. As with most siege units, the Trebuchet is a powerful weapon no matter the range. However, they work optimally at a distance; they won’t fire at enemies that are at point-blank range. They are especially useful when you have a hero holding off an entire battalion and then you shell the battalion from afar—the hero is strong enough to withstand getting hit, but the enemy units are not.

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The Factions

Buildings

Battle Tower Shortcut: T

Farm Shortcut: R

The Farm continuously generates resources, which can be spent on expanding your army and base. Your command point limit increases by 50 with each Farm. Set up as many of these as possible from the outset, capturing as much land as humanly (or inhumanly) possible; much of this game is fought on the basis of a land grab. The more you control, the less your opponents can control and, therefore, the lower their resource and command point stream will be.

The Battle Tower automatically fires arrows at nearby enemies and can be garrisoned with Archers for greater damage. Pairing these with Heroic Statues results in a mighty combination. These pairings are ideal when developing a supply line for your troops as you advance on an enemy stronghold (you can find more info on this in the “Good Campaign” walkthrough chapter).

Well Shortcut: L

Barracks Shortcut: C

The footmen of the West receive their training at the Barracks. You can produce Soldiers and Tower Guards in quantity at the Barracks if you have sufficient resources.

Archery Range

Units near the Well automatically heal when not under attack. This is another excellent addition to maintaining a supply line. A Well always gives you a place to fall back to and heal when the going gets tough. Pair these with Battle Towers and Heroic Statues for maximal mini-base effect.

Heroic Statue

Shortcut: Y

The Archery Range produces the West’s able Archers and the Fire Arrows upgrade. You can train Ithilien Rangers only at a level 2 Archery Range.

Stables Shortcut: A

From the Stables come the shining Knights of Gondor and the elite riders of Rohan, the Rohirrim. You can train Rohirrim only at a level 2 Stables.

Siege Works Shortcut: G

The Siege Works is the source of Trebuchets, which can hurl the masonry of Gondor against advancing forces. You can research Fire Stones only at a level 2 Siege Works.

Shortcut: I

Units rallying near the Heroic Statue receive a boost to their armor and damage output and double experience within their area of effect. The Statue also increases your command point limit by 10 and reduces the cost of infantry units. These should always be paired with Battle Towers because they are very fragile and are taken down quickly even by units that are generally weak against structures.

Blacksmith Shortcut: K

The Blacksmith can research several unit upgrades, including Forged Blades and Heavy Armor. If you intend to fight a protracted battle, these upgrades are essential to keep pace with your enemies’ development. Each upgrade doubles its respective stats (damage for Forged Blades; defense for Heavy Armor).

• You can research Forged Blades only at a level 2 Blacksmith. • You can research Heavy Armor only at a level 3 Blacksmith.

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Arrow Tower Shortcut: R

The Arrow Tower automatically fires arrows at incoming enemies and can be upgraded with Flaming Munitions.

Marketplace Shortcut: M

Improve your economy and reduce upgrade costs by building a Marketplace. Marketplaces can be extremely important depending on the situation. The following three upgrades they provide are all valuable:

1. Siege Materials refunds 50 percent of the cost of structures when they are destroyed! 2. Iron Ore reduces the cost of melee upgrades by 25 percent. 3. Grand Harvest boosts the resource production at Farms by 10 percent.

These aren’t really worth it unless you go with the Flaming Munitions upgrade. Even then, however, they don’t have a very high rate of fire, so bear this in mind.

Dormitory Shortcut: D

These fortified structures can be garrisoned for protection. Dormitories heal any units inside their walls and also increase your command point limit by 25. These are a boon for healing troops, but the same effect can be gleaned from a Fountain—these, however, are far more resilient.

Fortress Shortcut: F

The Fortress is the heart of the West’s base. Customize it with improvements and expansions. Builders and heroes can be recruited from the Fortress. In all but the most abnormal situations, you require a Fortress for a steady supply of Builders and your only means of constructing heroes. Beyond that, you can outfit it with a staggering array of defensive structures so that the heart of your world isn’t easily destroyed.

Wall Hub Shortcut: W

Wall Hubs allow the player to expand their castle walls. If you want to expand your walls, you need to invest in these to some degree.

Fortress Upgrades Boiling Oil

Wall Hub

Shortcut: I

Shortcut: W

Wall Hubs allow you to expand your castle walls. You’ll find these a necessity if you decide to build walls onto your Fortress.

When your armies tip this bubbling cauldron, burning oil spills out of all four sides of the Fortress and onto enemy troops. In a word: ouch. This is useful in cases where your Fortress is being swarmed by enemy infantry and deals them a devastating blow.

Fortress Expansions Flaming Munitions

Trebuchet

Shortcut: F

Shortcut: T

The Fortress Trebuchet hurls heavy stones at incoming enemies and can be upgraded with Flaming Munitions.

Upgrade your Trebuchets and Battle Towers with fiery projectiles that inflict greater damage on your enemies.

These are devastating weapons that are mounted directly onto your Fortress. Upgraded, they deal terrific fire damage on top of their normal payload.

A must-have upgrade if you intend to build Trebuchets and Battle Towers onto your Fortress to add blistering fire damage.

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The Factions

Númenórian Stonework Shortcut: T

Wall Upgrades Arrow Tower

The masons of Númenor can lend their skills to further fortify your Fortress and walls. An upgrade to the resiliency of your Fortress is almost always a sound investment and can be a better choice than upgrading in closerange weaponry such as Boiling Oil.

• Númenórian Stonework is a prerequisite to building the Ivory Tower.

Shortcut: R

The Arrow Tower automatically fires arrows at incoming enemies. These are inexpensive but they only menace fairly low-level enemies. Therefore they generally are more a nuisance than a viable defense.

Trebuchet

Banners

Shortcut: T

Shortcut: N

Banners reduce the resource cost and recruitment time to build units from the West’s Fortress. They also grant an experience bonus to nearby troops. The investment on these, generally, isn’t worth the cost when you could be reinforcing your Fortress or equipping it with better weaponry. That said, if you have the spare resources, it won’t hurt.

The Wall Trebuchet hurls heavy stones at incoming enemies. These are a better option than the Arrow Tower except that they fire where a target was and not necessarily where it is.

Postern Gate Shortcut: P

The Postern Gate is a stealth gate that allows only friendly units to pass through.

House of Healing Shortcut: G

This small structure heals all nearby battalions to full capacity.

Specifically designed to move smaller units to and fro—not usable for siege weapons and larger tools of destruction.

Generally, this is preferable to garrisoning your troops in a dormitory, as it makes your troops more able to get into battle with less delay

Gate

Ivory Tower

This primary defensive gate can be opened and closed for strategic deployment.

Shortcut: V

The Ivory Tower increases the vision range of your Fortress and grants you a special vision power. The special vision in question allows you to reveal the entire shroud for 30 seconds. This can prove invaluable as it allows you to discern precisely where and what every enemy unit is up to—make good use of this while its power lasts.

Shortcut: G

This large sturdy gate is a necessity if you want to allow large numbers of troops or large pieces of equipment out into the world. They are a weak point in your defenses, however, so be sure to flank them with some sort of defensive structure.

Wall Hub Shortcut: W

Wall Hubs allow the Men of the West to continue expanding their castle walls. You’ll find these a necessity if you decide to build walls onto your Fortress.

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Unit Upgrades Banner Carrier Shortcut: N

The Banner Carrier displays the veterancy of your units and grants all troops in the battalion healing bonuses. You can only equip the Banner Carrier on a level 1 battalion.

• Banner Carriers must be researched at the Blacksmith.

Fire Stones Shortcut: T

When equipped with Fire Stones, the Trebuchets of the West hurl flaming boulders at nearby enemies.

• Fire Stones must be researched at a level 2 Siege Works.

Fire Arrows Shortcut: W

Fire Arrows greatly increase the damage dealt to structures and enemy units. This is likely the single most important upgrade for the Men of the West, so try to purchase it as quickly as possible so that your Archers’ damage output is vastly increased.

• Fire Arrows must be researched at a level 2 Archery Range.

Forged Blades Shortcut: L

The smiths of the West can deliver these weapons, tempered in fire, to eager soldiers in the field.

• Forged Blades must be researched at a level 2 Blacksmith.

Heavy Armor Shortcut: V

Clad in Heavy Armor, the soldiers of the West become as sturdy as the walls of their Fortresses. This armor upgrade essentially doubles the effectiveness of a unit’s armor rating.

• Heavy Armor must be researched at a level 3 Blacksmith.

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The Factions

Dwarves POWERS: DWARVES

Overview WHY PLAY THE DWARVES? 1. The single biggest asset the Dwarves have on their side is their collection of heroes. They are the most powerful set of melee fighters in the game, able to lay waste to battalion after battalion without breaking a sweat. Not only are they good at destroying various units, but they are also the best group of heroes for tearing down structures. If you can get all three on the field and deploy them against an enemy Fortress, you can bet it’s going to go down quickly. 2. While Dwarven Axe Throwers are powerful in their own right, upgrade to Men of Dale with Fire Arrows as soon as possible; they are much more deadly, especially against monsters (not to mention that structures take a lot more damage from fire than from normal weapons). If it comes down to upgrading to Forged Blades or Fire Arrows, go with Men of Dale and Fire Arrows. 3. Though it isn’t so much a strength as a necessity, Dwarves need to use Mines to get around the map. This is because of their very slow movement speed—unless you plan on loading up on Battle Wagons (which is not a good idea). The Dwarves are a very solid faction and are probably the best Good faction. Though they have their drawbacks, they make up for it in strength of units and their very stout heroes. The key to Dwarves is their heroes. The three that they have at their command are very powerful melee fighters and they are second-to-none in structure demolition. They are the spear point that you’ll want to drive through the heart of your foe.

TIER 1 Rallying Call Rebuild Heal

TIER 3 Barrage Cloud Break Undermine

TIER 2 Men of Dale Dwarven Riches Lone Tower Summon Hobbit Allies

TIER 4 Earthquake Summon Citadel

Recommended power selection: 1. Rallying Call 2. Dwarven Riches

3. Cloud Break 4. Summon Citadel

Heroes Gimli Shortcut: L Cost: 4000

This hardy Dwarf can deliver a lethal blow by throwing his onehanded axe. As a slayer, he can double his attack speed and damage for a short period of time.

ABILITIES

In addition, the Dwarves also get some very decent missilebased units in the form of the Axe Throwers and Men of Dale. Once both are upgraded and housed in Battle Towers you can cause some serious damage to any foe foolish enough to wander into your base. This also makes for a good defense as you extend your supply lines out into the wild.

Axe Throw

It’s also important to stress that you need to use Mines very strategically due to the slow movement rate involved. Make sure to lay down Mines fairly frequently or any aborted attempts at taking a foe’s base will result in very long marches, thus spreading your forces far more thin than they need to be. This also forces your foe into focusing on destroying your Mines instead of destroying you.

A single attack, the Axe Throw does 400 damage.

Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 30 seconds Shortcut: T

Leap Required Rank: 2 Duration: Instant Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: L

Leap deals meta damage and 120 points of damage to an area.

NOTE Meta damage is damage to surrounding foes.

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ABILITIES Leadership Slayer Required Rank: 5 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: R

Slayer increases Gimliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attack speed by 100 percent and his damage by 200 percent.

Gloin Shortcut: G Cost: 1500

The father of Gimli, Gloin was present at the Council of Elrond and is a powerful Dwarf warrior in his own right.

ABILITIES Slam Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: M

Slam is a powerful attack that causes meta impact and mass damage to structures. Shake Foundation Required Rank: 4 Duration: Instant Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: T

The targeted building takes damage and is put out of business for 30 seconds: Buildings cannot shoot, gain money, build, etc. when shut down; garrison units can exit or enter but cannot shoot out; gates attacked by this power automatically open. Shatter Hammer Required Rank: 10 Duration: Instant Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: R

Shatter Hammer is a single attack that cracks the ground around Gloinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feet as he strikes it with his siege hammer, causing a small earthquake around his location.

Required Rank: 1 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Leadership confers a 50 percent buff to armor and damage output. It also doubles the experience accrual. Mighty Rage Required Rank: 4 Duration: Instant Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: R

Mighty Rage heals targeted units and buffs them for +50 percent damage and +50 percent armor. Stubborn Pride Required Rank: 7 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Stubborn Pride gives all allies around Dain resistance to fear. Summon Royal Guard Required Rank: 10 Duration: 180 seconds Recharge: 300 seconds Shortcut: Y

This ability summons two hordes of rank 5 Guardians, two hordes of rank 5 Phalanxes, and two hordes of rank 5 Axe Throwers near Dain.

Units Builder Shortcut: L

These hardy Dwarven workers construct and repair buildings. Builders are the tools with which you construct all structures in the game. Always have one of these safely squirreled away as you might pay for it later.

Guardian Shortcut: G

King Dain

A shining example of Dwarven courage, this stout warrior defends the mighty halls of his ancestors with his trusty axe and shield.

Shortcut: D Cost: 2500

King Dain rules over Erebor, the mountain fortress of the Dwarves. He is a powerful warrior who provides a Leadership bonus to all who fight alongside him.

These are the infantry unit backbone of the Dwarven army. Rely on these units to defend your structures and provide the brunt of your force on land.

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The Factions

Axe Thrower Shortcut: X

The standard ranged unit of the Dwarven army, the Axe Thrower is a lethal foe at short range.

Generally speaking, Demolishers are not worth the time, effort, or expense to build when you have Dwarven heroes that are practically custom-made to demolish all manner of structures and barriers.

• You can build a Demolisher only at a level 2 Forge Works.

You can never have too many missile-based units. The Axe Throwers, upgraded with Forged Blades, are a force to be reckoned with when attacking en masse.

Iron Hills Catapult

Phalanx

Siege weaponry of some sort is a good, lategame tactic for taking down enemy structures, especially when combined with the Dwarven heroes and high-end powers.

Shortcut: P

Equipped with a deadly pike, the Dwarven Phalanx has the focused purpose of stopping enemy Cavalry and monsters. As is the case with most Pikeman units, these are preferable to building infantry, but only after you’ve established a decentsized force.

Battle Wagon Shortcut: W

You can outfit the back of the Battle Wagon with Men of Dale, morale-boosting Banners,a Hearth to provide healing, or even fearsome Axe Throwers. The Battle Wagon can also launch flammable oil casks onto the battlefield. These may seem like a good idea, as they can boost the Dwarves’ movement speed a great deal, but the cost of production and the trickiness of actual unloading them in the heat of combat can be more trouble than they’re worth.

Men of Dale Shortcut: L

These human Archers have allied with the Dwarves in a quest to defend their homeland from the forces of darkness. As is always the case with elite Archer units, these are superior to the Dwarven Axe Throwers when equipped with Fire Arrows. That said, they are not as resilient as the Axe Throwers, so bear this in mind when in close combat.

• You can train the Men of Dale only at a level 2 Archery Range.

Demolisher Shortcut: R

The Demolisher can breach the staunchest of barricades, and, when deployed, the armor built into it affords the crew a measure of protection against arrows and other anti-siege weaponry.

Shortcut: C

This side-firing Catapult can launch two separate projectiles at once.

• You can build a Catapult only at a level 2 Forge Works.

Buildings Mine Shaft Shortcut: T

The Mine Shaft generates resources and provides access to the Dwarven tunnel network. Your command point limit increases by 50 with each Mine Shaft. Not only do Mine Shafts produce resources, but they also allow rapid movement of Dwarven units all over the map as each Mine is linked to every other.

Hall of Warriors Shortcut: R

The mighty Hall of Warriors trains Dwarven Guardians and Phalanxes. This is one of the first buildings that you should erect—start turning out Guardians in the early game and transitioning to Phalanxes as the game progresses.

Archery Range Shortcut: Y

The Archery Range trains the Axe Throwers and the elite Men of Dale, who can be equipped with deadly Fire Arrows. Men of Dale are, of course, preferable to Axe Throwers, but focus on building the latter early on, then switch to Men of Dale as you build up sufficient resources and can arm them with Fire Arrows.

• You can train Men of Dale only at a level 2 Archery Range. • You can research Fire Arrows only at a level 2 Archery Range.

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Fortress Shortcut: F

Forge Works Shortcut: G

Dwarven siege units, including the Catapult, Demolisher, and Battle Wagon, are built at the Forge Works. Dwarven unit upgrades are also researched at the Forge Works. This is one of the more important Dwarven structures since so many items of importance are manufactured here. Build one of these early on and begin upgrading it so that you can get to the better gear as rapidly as possible.

• You can build Demolishers and Catapults only at a level 2 Forge Works. • You can research Forged Blades only at a level 2 Forge Works. • You can research Siege Hammers, Mithril Mail, and Flaming Shot only at a level 3 Forge Works.

The Fortress is the heart of the Dwarves’ base. Customize it with a variety of improvements and expansions. Builders and heroes can also be recruited from the Fortress.

Wall Hub Shortcut: W

Wall Hubs allow you to expand your castle walls. This is a necessity for extending walls out from the Fortress itself.

Fortress Expansions

Battle Tower Shortcut: L

Defender Catapult

This Tower hurls axes at approaching enemy units and can be garrisoned with Axe Throwers for increased damage output. As with the Elves, the Dwarven Battle Towers are a force to be reckoned with. Garrison these with Men of Dale or upgraded Axe Throwers and situate a Heroic Statue near them for maximum effect—excellent for marinating a sturdy supply line.

Hearth

Shortcut: C

This embedded Catapult hurls heavy stones at incoming enemies and can be upgraded with Masterwork Munitions. An effective defense at long distances, the catapult fires where enemies are at the moment but cannot lead a target. Good for hitting slower or stopped enemies.

Axe Tower

Shortcut: A

The Hearth provides healing bonuses to any troops in the nearby area. Foritfy your various supply line stops and main base with these so that you have something to fall back on for quick healing.

Heroic Statue

Shortcut: X

The Axe Tower automatically fires axes at incoming enemies and can be upgraded with Masterwork Munitions. This is not a terribly impressive piece of artillery but it is good for nuisance fire on lower level or poorly armored enemies.

Shortcut: I

Units rallying near the Heroic Statue receive a boost to their armor and damage output. The statue also increases your command point limit by 10. Heroic Statues are an integral part of your supply line strategy because they allow you to level your units at a much higher rate of speed.

Hall Shortcut: L

The Hall is a fortified bunker that you can garrison for protection. It can also heal any units that are inside. This is a good investment if you need a quick healing solution. However, there are better options that allow your units to get back into the fight with less hassle.

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The Factions

Wall Hub Shortcut: W

Siege Kegs

Wall Hubs allow the player to expand castle walls. These are neccesary to expand your walls.

Shortcut: K

These ale kegs and stacks of grain supply your armies with the goods they need to resist a long siege. Siege Kegs heal troops in attached Dwarven Halls back to full capacity. Probably not going to be your first choice for healing, but it’s not a bad idea if you have the resources to spare.

Fortress Upgrades Dwarven Stonework Shortcut: T

The legendary Dwarves of old were masters of masonry. With this upgrade, the Dwarves can further fortify their Fortress walls. This is always an excellent investment as it vastly improves your Fortress’ hit points, making it much harder to destroy.

• Dwarven Stonework is a prerequisite for building the Mighty Catapult.

Oil Casks

Mighty Catapult Shortcut: C

With this giant Catapult the Dwarves can fire a large number of flaming rocks at their enemies. Large and devastating, this is an excellent tool for countering enemy siege weapons. If your foe likes to confront you in close quarters, however, you might not want to invest in this means of defense.

• The Mighty Catapult requires the Dwarven Stonework upgrade.

Shortcut: I

With the Oil Cask upgrade, several Dwarves drop casks of oils from all four sides of your Fortress, igniting and damaging your enemy. If you find yourself facing an enemy that constantly relies on close-range attackers to storm your Fortress, this is a good upgrade. If, however, your enemy tends to rely on missile attacks and long-range siege weapons, this shouldn’t be on your shopping list.

Banners

Wall Upgrades Axe Tower Shortcut: X

The Axe Tower automatically fires axes at incoming enemies. A fairly weak, nuisance-type defense, these should only be used to annoy and weaken, rather than kill. They are good in combination with nearby troops, however.

Shortcut: N

Banners reduce the cost and time to recruit units from the Fortress and grant an experience bonus to nearby troops. This is a useful upgrade but isn’t generally worth the money. You’ll also likely have other means of healing already constructed long before you get to this point.

Masterwork Munitions

Catapult Shortcut: C

The Wall Catapult hurls heavy stones at incoming enemies. This Catapult fires two shots at once. As with all Catapult and Ballista-type weapons, if your foe likes to mix it up in tight quarters, then there are probably better ways to defend your walls.

Shortcut: M

Masterwork Munitions upgrades your Fortress Catapults with fiery projectiles and forges the blades of your Fortress Axe Towers, inflicting greater damage on your enemies. This is a fantastic upgrade if you intend to fortify with the prerequisites. You can cause a lot more damage that way.

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Fire Arrows Shortcut: W

Postern Gate Shortcut: P

Fire Arrows greatly increase the damage dealt to structures and enemy units.

The Postern Gate is a stealth gate that allows only friendly units to pass through.

• Fire Arrows must be researched at a level 2 Archery Range.

A necessity if you barricade an area that leaves no entrance for troops. These are especially helpful in cases where you need to beat a hasty retreat to safety.

Forged Blades Shortcut: L

The Dwarven smiths can deliver these weapons, tempered in fire, to eager soldiers in the field.

Gate Shortcut: G

This primary defensive Gate can be opened and closed for strategic deployment. You need one of these if you intend to flood the area with large weaponry or a large volume of troops in short order. Be aware that this is a weak point in your defenses, however, and must be shored up in some fashion.

Wall Hub

• Forged Blades must be researched at a level 2 Blacksmith.

Siege Hammers Shortcut: I

These great Dwarven hammers inflict extraordinary amounts of damage on enemy structures.

• Siege Hammers must be researched at a level 3 Forge Works.

Shortcut: W

Wall Hubs allow the Dwarves to continue expanding their castle walls. Wall hubs are necessary if you want to expand you Fortress walls past their beginning limits.

Mithril Mail Shortcut: V

Battle-weary Dwarves can wear the legendary Mithril Mail with this upgrade.

• Mithril Mail must be researched at a level 3 Forge Works.

Unit Upgrades Banner Carrier Shortcut: N

The Banner Carrier displays the veterancy of your units and grants all troops in the battalion healing bonuses.

• Banner Carriers must be researched at the Blacksmith. • You can equip the Banner Carrier only on a level 1 battalion.

Flaming Shot Shortcut: C

When equipped with Flaming Shot, the Dwarven Catapult hurls fiery boulders at nearby enemies.

• Flaming Shot must be researched at a level 3 Forge Works.

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The Factions

Elves Overview

POWERS: ELVES WHY PLAY THE ELVES?

1. The Elves have the best set of ranged heroes, with Thranduil, Legolas, and Haldir all capable of wreaking massive damage with their complement of arrow-powered death dealers. As devastating as melee-based heroes of other factions can be, this focus on ranged attacks gives the Elves a decided advantage when facing down masses of foes from afar. 2. Simply put, the Elves have the best Archers in the entire game; the standard and Mirkwood varieties are both deadly. Once they’ve been upgraded to Silverthorn Arrows, they enter another league entirely. Two to three battalions of such upgraded Archers make short work of virtually anything, and it’s even been observed that three battalions of upgraded Mirkwood Archers can take down the Balrog in record time. Needless to say, build many Archers and get those upgraded arrows (courtesy of the Eregion Forge) as soon as possible. 3. Unlike the Banner Carriers available to other factions, the Elven variety heal their compatriots. This is a tremendous advantage because you can pull back from battle, let your troops heal a bit, then throw them back into the fray. This also slows down their rate of demise, and if you equip friendly units with upgraded armor, your units last under seemingly impossible pressure for a long time.

Tier 1 Rallying Call Heal Farsight

Tier 2 Enshrouding Mist Arrow Volley Elven Wood Summon Tom Bombadil

Tier 3 Summon Eagle Allies Cloud Break Summon Ent Allies

Tier 4 Sun Flare Flood

Recommended power selection:

1. Rallying Call 2. Enshrouding Mist

3. Cloud Break 4. Sun Flare

Heroes Glorfindel Shortcut: G Cost: 1500

Glorfindel is one of the few Elves powerful enough to ride openly against the Ringwraiths.

ABILITIES The Elves are the most difficult faction to play early on. Though they have their fair share of strengths, they lack a good early game. This forces them to take a defensive stance at the outset. Concentrate on getting a fairly defensible base setup and generating sufficient income. Once you have sufficient resources, you’ll be able to start building the units that the Elves need to really compete: both varieties of Archers. Both of these also need to be equipped with Silverthorn Arrows to be anywhere near fully effective. However, getting to the point where you have those arrows set up on Mirkwood Archers takes some very significant resources. Once they get going, things pick up nicely, with a large complement of heroes. The heroes' strengths in missile-based attacks make them an excellent candidate for hitting targets from relative safety. The flipside, of course, is that they aren’t particularly resilient in their various melee classes. Needless to say, it takes some effort to get proficient at the Elves when you’re surrounded by factions that have very decent to fantastic early games.

Mount Required Rank: 1 Duration: N/A Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: M

This ability switches Glorfindel between being on foot and being mounted. Blade of Purity Required Rank: 3 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: T

Blade of Purity grants Glorfindel a 30-second boost to damage and armor; 100 percent to each. Wind Rider Required Rank: 6 Duration: Instant Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: W

Glorfindel gains 60 percent speed and double armor when mounted.

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Thorn of Vengeance Starlight Required Rank: 10 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: R

Starlight calls a spotlight down on Glorfindelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s location. Friendly units in the area are healed and gain a 30-second buff (50 percent damage and armor and double experience). Any light-sensitive unit stunned by Cloud Break is also stunned by Starlight.

Thranduil Shortcut: T Cost: 2500

The King of Mirkwood and father of Legolas, Thranduil is both a noble warrior and a master Archer.

ABILITIES Wild Walk

Required Rank: 10 Duration: N/A Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: V

Thorn of Vengeance is a high-damage, long-range single shot attack. It adds magic and fire damage as well as meta impact to the target.

Elrond Shortcut: E Cost: 2500

The Master of Rivendell is a member of the White Council and father to Arwen. He is also a legendary warrior. Athelas Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: T

The Athelas ability heals nearby friendly heroes.

Required Rank: 1 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Leadership

Wild Walk allows Thranduil to shoot while invisible. Move Unseen Required Rank: 3 Duration: N/A Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: U

Move Unseen allows all units in a selected area to gain a buff that allows them to move camouflaged in the open for 30 seconds. They become visible when they attack but hidden again if they stop attacking. Units can be detected at close range. They retain camouflage when moving. Elven Cloak Required Rank: 4 Duration: N/A Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: C

Thranduil can only be detected by a stealth detector. If he moves or attacks he loses stealth. Stealthy units do not automatically attack. Dead Eye Required Rank: 7 Duration: N/A Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: Y

Required Rank: 1 Duration: N/A Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: N/A

As with all Leadership bonuses, this confers a 50 percent buff to armor and damage output. It also doubles the experience accrual. Farsight Required Rank: 4 Duration: Instant Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: I

Farsight reveals an area of the map. Whirlwind Required Rank: 7 Duration: 20 seconds Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: W

This ability summons a destructive whirlwind onto the battlefield.

CAUTION This ability will damage friendly units, so be careful.

Dead Eye is a long range attack that does increased damage to a target as well as magic damage.

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The Factions

ABILITIES

Restoration Required Rank: 10 Duration: Instant Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: R

Hawk Strike Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 300 seconds Shortcut: R

Restoration heals nearby allies and fully refreshes their specialability timers.

The Hawk Strike is a single attack that does 300 damage.

Haldir

Knife Fighter

Shortcut: H Cost: 2000

Haldir, a powerful Archer and Elven warrior who guards the northern borders of Lothlorien, was the first to greet the Fellowship when they arrived at the Golden Wood.

ABILITIES Alternate Weapon Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: T

Required Rank: 2 Duration: 500 seconds Recharge: 600 seconds Shortcut: T

This ability provides Legolas with melee attacks and also a 125 percent speed bonus and 20 percent armor bonus. Train Archers Required Rank: 4 Duration: Instant Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: C

Legolas can give targeted allies (Archers) 50 points of experience. Arrow Wind

Haldir can switch between a sword and bow. Leadership Required Rank: 6 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Required Rank: 7 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 240 seconds Shortcut: W

With Arrow Wind, Legolas can shoot volleys of arrows into a target area for 30 seconds.

As with all Leadership bonuses, this confers a 50 percent buff to armor and damage output. It also doubles the experience accrual. Golden Arrow

Arwen Shortcut: A Cost: 800

Daughter of Elrond, Arwen has the ability to summon the power of nature to assist her in battle.

Required Rank: 10 Duration: Instant Recharge: 45 seconds Shortcut: W

ABILITIES

Haldir can fire an arrow that centers a daylight effect at its destination. Any light-sensitive unit, such as those stunned by Cloud Break, is stunned for 15 seconds in a small area of effectâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;any unit hit by it takes high damage.

Legolas

Mount Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: M

Switch Arwen between being mounted and being on foot.

Shortcut: L Cost: 3000

Athelas

Legolasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s multiple special attacks and remarkable abilities with the bow can put down a battalionsized force. He is also effective with his white knives and can train Archers to improve their skills.

Required Rank: 2 Duration: Instant Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: T

The Athelas ability heals nearby friendly heroes.

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Lorien Archer Shortcut: A

Flood Required Rank: 10 Duration: Instant Recharge: 180 seconds Shortcut: L

Flood causes a small area to take massive direct damage and meta-impact.

Treebeard Shortcut: T Cost: 2000

Lorien Archers can pick off enemy units from a distance. They are a formidable force when combined with Lorien Warriors. It cannot be stressed enough that the Elves’ main virtue (both in regular units and heroes) is their mastery of archery, especially when they are equipped with upgraded ammunition in the form of Silverthorn Arrows. This also accounts for their relatively low ability to muster a significant early “rush” strategy as it takes some time to get them equipped in such a fashion.

Mithlond Sentry

When pressed into action, Treebeard is a relentless fighter. He is also a fine shot with a heavy boulder.

• Treebeard is recruited from the Ent Moot. ABILITIES Close Range Attack Required Rank: N/A Duration: Instant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: C

This toggles Treebeard between melee and missile attack modes. Bombard Required Rank: N/A Duration: Instant Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: R

Bombard focuses Treebeard’s missile attack on one spot, hammering it repeatedly with large stones.

Shortcut: M

Guarding the sacred Elven port of Grey Havens, the Mithlond Sentry can stop enemy Cavalry and monsters in their tracks. The rule for most factions is that you’re better off building Pikemen rather than normal infantry. In the Elves’ case, this is that much more imperative. Spend your resources here rather than on their weaker brethren.

Mirkwood Archer Shortcut: K

These elite Elven Archers specialize in stealth and have a devastatingly long firing range. The elite Archer class for Elves, Elven Archers are as powerful as a normal Archer unit when equipped with upgraded gear. Mirkwood Archers take that to the next level. As you likely won’t rush too many foes outright, you should always aim to construct as many Mirkwood Archers as possible—the combined firepower of several battalions of these units is staggering.

Units

• You can train Mirkwood Archers only at a level 3 Elven Barracks.

Builder

Rivendell Lancer

Shortcut: L

These devoted workers of Lorien construct and repair buildings. These are your most basic unit, responsible for building all structures in the game. It’s a very good idea to always try and keep one of these out of the line of fire in case things go horribly awry.

Lorien Warrior Shortcut: W

This brave soldier of Rivendell rides on horseback, carrying a mighty lance and trampling enemies when at full speed. The standard Cavalry unit for Elves, these stout horsemen are usually not worth the expenditure, as you have several heroes capable of taking to horseback. Resources are better spent on Mithlond Sentries and Mirkwood Archers.

The nimble Lorien Warrior wields sword and shield in battle.

These basic warriors aren’t terribly hardy and, generally, you’re better off constructing Mithlond Sentries in their place, despite the increased cost.

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The Factions

Ent

Heroic Statue

Shortcut: N

Shortcut: I

The mighty Ent can crush his enemy with melee attacks or throw boulders from afar. Ents are very expensive, though not as expensive in command points as you might expect, but they are very powerful when dealing with structures. However, their cost doesn’t warrant building too many of them, as their very slow speed makes them an easy target.

Buildings

Units rallying near the Heroic Statue receive a boost to their armor and damage output. The Statue also increases your command point limit by 10. Heroic Statues coupled with Battle Towers and garrisoned with multiple sets of Archers are a titanic combination that can lay waste to entire units. Please see the Good Campaign walkthrough for some very telling examples.

Battle Tower

Mallorn Tree

Shortcut: L

Shortcut: R

This beautiful tree generates resources for the Elven faction. Your command point limit increases by 50 with each Mallorn Tree. Mallorn Trees are necessary to build your resources, so erect these as soon as possible.

The Battle Tower is a defensive structure that can be garrisoned with Elven Archers. Elven Archers are known for their archery skills, so construct a Battle Tower when you have a long-range foe you need to take care of.

Elven Barracks Shortcut: C

The Barracks trains Elven infantry units, including Lorien Warriors, Lorien Archers, and Mirkwood Archers. This should be the first building erected because you can begin turning out Archer units post-haste—also focus on upgrading as quickly as possible to get Mirkwood Archers on the field.

Mirror of Galadriel Shortcut: D

The Mirror of Galadriel provides healing bonuses to nearby troops.

• You can train Mirkwood Archers only at a level 3 Elven Barracks.

These are a must for Elves. In addition to constructing one near your base, it might be a good idea to also pair one with Battle Towers or Heroic Statues for even greater efficacy in your supply line.

Green Pasture

Eregion Forge Shortcut: G

Shortcut: A

This Elven structure trains the Rivendell Lancers. The useful Rivendell Lancers are generated here, so be sure to construct a Green Pasture whenever possible.

Ent Moot

The forge enables the research of Elven troop upgrades, including Elven Armor, Forged Blades, and Silverthorn Arrows. You have to construct one of these and upgrade it to the maximum level to build Silverthorn Arrows. It should be one of the initial structures you erect after a Barracks and several Mallorn Trees.

Fortress

Shortcut: M

The Ent Moot allows the Elves to recruit Ent allies to the battle. The unique hero Treebeard can also be recruited from the Ent Moot.

Shortcut: F

The Fortress is the center of an Elven base. You can customize it with a variety of improvements and expansions. Builders and heroes are recruited from the Fortress. Investing in a Mystic Fountain upgrade is an excellent idea because your heroes return to battle that much quicker after they are vanquished (25 percent reduction in revival time).

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Fortress Upgrades Encasing Vines Shortcut: V

Wall Hub Shortcut: W

Wall Hubs allow you to expand your castle walls.

These powerful vines wrap around your Fortress and help protect it from damage.

These, naturally, allow you to extend your walls away from the Fortress itself.

These are a fantastic upgrade for helping your Fortress withstand any form of attack, as they boost the overall hit points available to the structure. You also need it to support the Eagle’s Nest upgrade.

Fortress Expansions

• Encasing Vines are a prerequisite to building the Eagle’s Nest.

Arrow Tower

Mystic Fountains Shortcut: M

Shortcut: R

Add this Tower to your Fortress to provide a vantage point for shooting arrows at approaching enemy troops. When you have access to Battle Towers, there is little need for Arrow Towers, so think twice about using resources on them.

Vigilant Ent

All units near a Fortress equipped with a Mystic Fountain heal their wounds over time. If you don’t have Galadriel’s Mirror nearby this is a worthy (and likely necessary) upgrade to your immediate surroundings.

Blessed Mist

Shortcut: V

Shortcut: T

This Ent protector hurls boulders at nearby enemies. These are far more fragile than you might assume, so spending resources on them might not be the right direction to go in.

Floodgate Shortcut: F

When opened, the Floodgate spills rushing water that causes damage to enemies and quenches nearby fires. A handy upgrade if enemies insist on assailing your Fortress walls via melee or close-range attacks. If your foe tends to take the long-range assault, however, they are of little value.

Wall Hub Shortcut: W

Wall Hubs allow you to expand your castle walls. These are naturally useful for expanding your walls out from pre-existing walls.

When Blessed Mist is enabled, a permanent, enshrouding mist envelops your Fortress, camouflaging nearby troops. This upgrade is of slightly dubious value in that it does cloak your troops, but only those in the immediate vicinity of your Fortress. It can be good for surprising an unsuspecting foe, however.

Crystal Moat Shortcut: Y

This moat surrounds your Fortress, preventing enemies from attacking the Fortress anywhere other than the front gate. This is a fantastic upgrade for forcing enemies to be where you want them to be. It’s also good for anyone that constantly deals with close range interlopers.

Enchanted Anvil Shortcut: N

This powerful anvil, much like the one used to reforge Aragorn’s sword, Narsil, reduces the cost of Elven unit upgrades. This upgrade is of dubious value since you should already be constructing upgrades and not waiting for this to complete.

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The Factions

Eagle’s Nest

Silverthorn Arrows

Shortcut: G

Shortcut: W

If you build an Eagle’s Nest, one Giant Eagle may make it his home and protect your Fortress from interlopers.

These much-coveted arrows inflict extra damage and are eagerly awaited by master Elven Archers.

Eagles can be a very stout protector for your Fortress but they are very expensive and, in most cases, your coin can be better spent on other items.

• You must have Encasing Vines to build the Eagle’s Nest.

This is the Elven upgrade to end all upgrades. It’s fair to say that without these, you will find yourself hard-pressed to walk away victorious from just about any battle.

Wall Upgrades

• Silverthorn Arrows must be researched at a level 3 Eregion Forge.

Gate

Forged Blades

Shortcut: G

Shortcut: L

This primary defensive Gate can be opened and closed for strategic deployment.

These elegant blades provide the Elven melee units with a boost in damage.

This large gate can be opened and closed to let large groups of troops and equipment in and out of a closed-in area (behind a wall). The downside is that they serve as a weak point in your defenses, so be aware of this.

• Forged Blades must be researched at a level 2 Eregion Forge.

Elven Armor Shortcut: V

Wall Hub Shortcut: W

Wall Hubs allow you to expand your castle walls. Wall hubs are necessary to expand your Fortress walls.

This rare form of armor is greatly prized among Elven troops for its superior design and protection on the battlefield.

• Elven Armor must be researched at a level 2 Eregion Forge.

Unit Upgrades Banner Carrier Shortcut: N

The Banner Carrier displays the veterancy of your units and grants all troops in the battalion healing bonuses. Banner Carriers are a good idea for the Elves, as they heal your troops as they go— a sound investment to be sure.

• The Banner Carrier must be researched at the Eregion Forge. • You can only equip a Banner Carrier on a level 1 battalion.

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EVIL RACES Mordor Overview WHY PLAY MORDOR? 1. Hordes of Orcs: They’re cheap, you can produce them quickly, and they are not an attractive foe in large numbers. Build as many as possible early on and try to flood your enemies’ defenses with a tidal wave of green-hued meat (the term is “zerging” in RTS parlance). In this case we’re primarily focusing on Orc Warriors, though tossing in some Archers can’t hurt. 2. If you have played through the Good campaign, you have a very good idea of how awful it can be to try to repel one Attack Troll, let alone four or more at once. That being the case, if you’re more into taking the long game approach, you need to understand only one thing: Attack Trolls are devastating. They are amazingly strong and resilient. One blow from them sends swaths of foes flying, and their ability to tear down structures is fearsome indeed. If you have the time to construct a mob of four or more and send them at any enemy, your foes are hard-pressed to repel the assault with anything less than a kamikaze sacrifice of units. 3. Mordor has some decent low-end heroes (the Nazgûl and Mouth of Sauron), but the Witch-king is probably one of the best in the game. However, don’t spend too much time flying to and fro on your Fell Beast. The Witch-king’s real strength is as a ground-based unit, wreaking havoc among enemy troops. Think of the Witch-king as a powered-up Attack Troll and you’ll begin to get the idea. A good strategy is to air drop him into a knot of enemies and have him tear your foes to pieces with near impunity. Mordor is one of the easier factions to handle from the outset. Because of their ability to drown the enemy in a huge wave of units early on, they can be a real headache—especially for the RTS players who treat the game more as a resource management game than as the life and death struggle it is. If you face an opponent with solid defenses early on, shift gears and begin producing Attack Trolls as soon as possible. While it’s a slow, expensive proposition, the benefits of raising an army of Attack Trolls immediately becomes apparent. Their sheer brute force makes repelling them a chore, and there aren’t many effective strategies to counter them that don’t involve sacrificing large numbers of units and structures in the process.

As far as Mordor’s complement of heroes goes, they don’t command very many powers, which makes playing them a fairly straightforward affair. Many of them can send enemy targets running in terror, so use those abilities well to open up holes in their defenses. Then you can drive through and lay waste to their flanks and, of course, their bases.

For power choices, Mordor gets some excellent tier 1 abilities that are very cheap and effective: Tainted Land, Eye of Sauron, and War Chant all offer buff and de-buff effects that cause all sorts of problems for encroaching foes. The Eye of Sauron, when shining down on Attack Trolls for example, can be an utterly devastating combination when employed against a seemingly stout enemy Fortress.

POWERS: MORDOR TIER 1 Tainted Land Eye of Sauron War Chant

TIER 3 Awaken Wyrm Darkness Barrage

TIER 2 Barricade Untamed Allegiance Industry Arrow Volley

TIER 4 Summon Balrog Rain of Fire

Recommended power selection:

1. Tainted Land 2. War Chant

3. Eye of Sauron 4. Arrow Volley

Heroes Fell Beasts Shortcut: F Cost: 3000

The Ringwraiths ride on the wings of Fell Beasts, which can grab enemy infantry and swoop across enemy structures. Use the Screech ability to scare away enemy soldiers.

ABILITIES Screech Required Rank: 1 Duration: 10 seconds Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: C

Screech will send enemy units fleeing in terror.

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The Factions

ABILITIES

The Witch-king Shortcut: W Cost: 5000

Mount Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: M

Although lethal while riding his Fell Beast, the Witch-king can also dismount and attack enemies with his fearsome heavy flail.

Toggling this ability causes the Mouth of Sauron to mount and dismount his steed.

ABILITIES

Doubt Required Rank: 4 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: T

Mount Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: M

This ability allows the Witch-king to mount or dismount his Fell Beast.

Doubt causes all enemy units in the targeted area to receive a standard de-buff for 30 seconds. Leadership bonuses to these units are also cancelled.

Dread Visage

Dissent Required Rank: 6 Duration: 45 seconds Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: I

Required Rank: 2 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Dread Visage is an automatic constant de-buff that eliminates enemy Leadership bonuses in an area around the Witch-king. Screech

Dissent causes all units in the targeted area to become hostile to all other units in the area. They are considered temporarily hostile for the purposes of all buffs/de-buffs. Evil Eye

Required Rank: 6 Duration: 20 seconds Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: C

Screech causes enemies to flee in terror.

Required Rank: 10 Duration: Instant Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: Y

When Evil Eye is used, the Mouth of Sauron shoots a bolt of red fire out of the eye in his helmet; it causes significant damage.

Hour of the Witch-king Required Rank: 10 Duration: Instant Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: W

Nazgûl Shortcut: N Cost: 1000

The target enemy’s special-ability timers are reset by the Hour of the Witch-king ability.

Mouth of Sauron Shortcut: M Cost: 1500

This faithful servant of Mordor is a brutal opponent that can also demoralize and trick his enemies.

These fearsome servants of darkness can fight with terrifying force and frighten their adversaries. They can engage in combat either on foot or on the backs of their horse minions. Mount Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: M

Mount allows the Nazgûl to mount and dismount his steed.

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Orc Archer Shortcut: A

Dread Visage

Although they are not gifted bowmen, Orc Archers can nonetheless inflict damage when protected by their melee brethren.

Required Rank: 2 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Dread Visage is a constant de-buff that eliminates enemy Leadership bonuses in an area around the Nazgûl. It also has a secondary fear effect. Morgul Blade Required Rank: 6 Duration: 10 seconds Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: L

Morgul Blade is a single melee attack on a target that inflicts high magic damage and roots the target to the spot for 10 seconds. Screech Required Rank: 10 Duration: 20 seconds Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: C

Screech instills terror in the targeted units, sending them fleeing.

Units Builder Shortcut: L

This simple minion of evil can build a wide variety of structures for Mordor. The basic construction unit for Mordor, you need Builders to build every structure in the game. Sequester one in a safe spot, either an allied base or garrisoned behind several other units.

Orc Warrior Shortcut: W

Orc warriors may be weak when faced with battle individually, but in numbers they possess far greater strength. Orcs are one of the key units in any “zerging” strategy for Mordor. Cranking out as many of these as possible, early on, and then ramming them down your ill-prepared foe’s throat is a very effective strategy.

Archers are always a good idea, but they aren’t as important to Mordor if you’re playing them in a rush capacity. If not, arming these fellows with Fire Arrows is a very good idea as it gives them some extra punch.

Easterlings Shortcut: T

The Easterlings are vicious Pikemen that gain pleasure from skewering enemy Cavalry and monsters. Normally it’s best to concentrate on Pikemen over infantry, but in Mordor’s case, focus on the infantry because you can build more, faster than you can Pikemen. In a protracted battle, however, look into these.

Haradrim Archers Shortcut: A

The elite Haradrim Archers can cause great damage on the ground or from the back of a Mûmakil. If you’re going to focus on Archers for Mordor, use these fellows rather than the standard Orc Archer, due to the Haradrim Archer’s increased resilience and attack range.

• You can train Haradrim Archers only at a level 2 Haradrim Palace.

Corsairs of Umbar Shortcut: C

These sea-faring pirates are fierce warriors that can swap their knives for ranged firebombs. These guys are rough, not only because they’re fairly strong warriors, but also because they can toggle between melee and a nasty, fire-based attack. However, generally they aren’t overwhelmingly effective in comparison to their cost.

Mountain Troll Shortcut: M

This versatile beast can pick up trees or rocks to use as weapons in battle. Mountain Trolls can also eat fellow Orcs to regain health. Mountain Trolls are pretty nasty combatants but they should only be a stop-gap until you can get production on Attack Trolls going at full strength. For fun, have them tear up trees to use as clubs to enhance their combat effectiveness.

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The Factions

Drummer Troll

Catapult

Shortcut: D

Shortcut: C

This variety of troll carries a drum into battle. By keeping a steady beat, it provides a boost to all nearby units. When in danger, a Drummer Troll can use its drumsticks to fight back.

A Catapult can launch flaming projectiles to level enemy structures, and can also fire human heads to cause foes to flee in terror.

If you can roll these out early, they can be of ample use by imparting various buffs to your units. If not, they are best left on the sidelines in favor of their burlier brethren.

As with all long-term games, siege weapons of some sort usually need to be used— especially when attempting to lay low a well-fortified Fortress. In this case, Mordor gets this nasty contraption for the job.

• You can train Drummer Trolls only at a level 2 Troll Cage.

•

Attack Troll

YOU CAN BUILD CATAPULTS ONLY AT A LEVEL 2 GREAT SIEGE WORKS.

Buildings

Shortcut: T

This elite troll comes equipped with a spiked mace and armor, causing devastating fear in its enemies. Attack Trolls are probably the single most powerful and troublesome non-hero unit in the game, due to their sheer power and relative speed (compared to Mountain Giants or Ents, which are both very, very slow). Four or more of these in a pack will make short work of just about anything—shine the Eye of Sauron on them for even more brutality.

• You can train Attack Trolls only at a level 3 Troll Cage.

Mûmakil Shortcut: M

These large beasts carry Haradrim Archers on their backs, swinging their massive tusks to cause severe damage to structures. When it has been hurt with flames, beware the Mûmakil’s rampage. These look cool and may be tempting to build, but odds are you will either have won by the time these become practical or you’ll have spent most of your resources on Attack Trolls, since they are quicker than these creatures.

Battering Ram Shortcut: R

The Battering Ram is Mordor’s first solution to breaking into enemy castles, causing excellent damage against enemy structures and gates. These are wonderful siege weapons, but they are very slow. If opponents see these coming, it likely won’t make it anywhere near the entrance to a structure they could knock down—not recommended.

Slaughterhouse Shortcut: R

The Slaughterhouse generates resources for the Mordor faction. Your command point limit increases by 50 with each Slaughterhouse. To generate more resources, you can even sacrifice your Orcs in the Slaughterhouse, but, generally, this isn’t recommended.

Lumber Mill Shortcut: V

The trees near a Lumber Mill can be harvested for resources. The Lumber Mill depends upon Orc laborers, not land area, for its resource output efficiency. Due to the fact that you must: a) have trees handy, and b) have laborers to cut the trees, we recommend sticking with Slaughterhouses.

Orc Pit Shortcut: C

From these wretched pits come Orc Warriors and Orc Archers, along with the Banner Carrier upgrade. If you’re playing Mordor the way it’s meant to be played, an Orc Pit will be the first structure you erect, before even a Fortress or resource structures. Get these up and churning out Warriors as quickly as possible.

•You can research the Banner Carrier only at a level 2 Orc Pit.

Haradrim Palace Shortcut: D

The Haradrim and Easterlings train at the Haradrim Palace. Construct these only if you intend to go forward and recruit Haradrim Archers.

• You can train Haradrim Archers only at a level 2 Haradrim Palace.

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Fortress Shortcut: F

Troll Cages Shortcut: T

Troll Cages are breeding grounds for the relentless trolls. You want these up and running as early as possible so you can start upgrading for Attack Trolls in case an early rush goes bad.

• You can train Drummer Trolls only at a level 2 Troll Cage. • You can train Attack Trolls only at a level 3 Troll Cage.

Great Siege Works Shortcut: G

The most powerful machines of war come from the Great Siege Works of Mordor. This structure manufactures the Battering Ram and Catapult.

• You can build Catapults only at a level 2 Great Siege Works.

Mûmakil Pen Shortcut: M

These great beasts of the battlefield are birthed and grown at the Mûmakil Pen. Beware of Mûmakil that have been lit afire.

The Fortress is the center of a Mordor base. You can customize it with a variety of improvements and expansions. Builders and heroes are recruited from the Fortress.

Fortress Expansions Catapult Shortcut: C

This loathsome machine of Mordor hurls heavy stones at incoming enemies. As with all siege weapons, this unit fires at your target but may not hit it if the target is moving. This is good for striking down your foe’s incoming siege weapons, however.

Barricade Several Orc Archers hide in the ruins of this Fortress Barricade, shooting at any enemies within range. While the arrows do very little damage, they can be good for antagonizing or weakening lesser units—just don’t depend on it to stave off enemies beyond level 3.

Gate Watchers Shortcut: C

Tavern Shortcut: V

The Tavern allows for the recruitment of the Corsairs of Umbar and the research of Mordor unit upgrades. Build one of these early on if you intend to use Archers to any great degree; you need it to construct Fire Arrows. Otherwise, you might want it for Forged Blades.

This three-headed guardian of Cirith Ungol perches in front of your Fortress, blasting utter terror into the hearts of any enemies that dare approach. Gate Watchers can be helpful with their ability to drive off close-range attackers. Be aware that a smart opponent will attempt to lay your Fortress low with ranged siege weapons, thus potentially rendering these moot (except when playing against factions that insist on the rush offensive).

Fortress Upgrades

• You can research Forged Blades only at a level 2 Tavern. • You can research Fire Arrows only at a level 3 Tavern.

Lava Moat

Siege Tower

This burning moat surrounds the Mordor Fortress, preventing melee enemies from attacking anywhere other than the front gate.

Shortcut: L

This short-range defensive tower fires arrows at incoming enemies. While the Good races get Battle Towers, the Evil are saddled with these, which, by and large, are of little value.

Shortcut: V

This is a great upgrade as it allows you to control where your foes can approach you if your foe intends on attacking your Fortress head on. If they appear to be relying more on siege weapons, however, you won’t reap much benefit from it.

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The Factions

Unit Upgrades

Magma Cauldrons Shortcut: M

Banner Carrier

When the armies of Mordor tip this boiling cauldron, burning magma spills out onto nearby enemy troops. Another close-range upgrade, this does fire damage to raiding enemy units that make the foolish decision to get just a bit too close to your Fortress.

Morgul Sorcery

Shortcut: N

The Banner Carrier displays the veterancy of your units and grants all troops in the horde healing bonuses. This is rarely worth the cost, so don’t use your resources on these.

• The Banner Carrier must be researched in the level 2 Orc Pit. • You can equip a Banner Carrier only on a level 1 horde.

Shortcut: C

The power of this sorcery provides additional armor and protection to your Fortress. This is a must-build upgrade that increases the resiliency of your Fortress by leaps and bounds. Without this, you are at a serious disadvantage, especially as the battle reaches its peak.

• Morgul Sorcery is a prerequisite for the Gorgoroth Spire.

Heavy Armor Shortcut: V

Heavy Armor affords warriors much more protection on the battlefield.

• Heavy Armor must be researched at the Tavern.

Flaming Munitions Shortcut: F

Forged Blades

This upgrade equips the Barricade with Fire Arrows. You need these for various, long-range weaponry bolted to your Fortress. It vastly increases the deadliness of your Catapult and barricade upgrades.

Doom Pyres

Shortcut: L

Mordor forces armed with Forged Blades make even more fearsome offensive opponents.

• Forged Blades must be researched at a level 2 Tavern.

Fire Arrows

Shortcut: D

Shortcut: W

These great brass braziers on the corners of the Fortress fuel the speed of Mordor armies. They reduce the time it takes to create units and revive their leaders. This is something to think about if you are trapped in a pitched battle (or war of attrition) with a tenacious foe, as it allows your heroes to return to battle much more quickly than they otherwise would.

Flaming arrows from the bows of Mordor Archers inflict devastating fire damage on enemy structures and units.

• Fire Arrows must be researched at a level 3 Tavern.

Gorgoroth Spire Shortcut: G

The Gorgoroth Spire is a large tower at the center of a Mordor Fortress; it can shoot a volcanic fireball. When the fireball hits the ground it explodes, inflicting fire damage on all nearby units. Utterly devastating, but the cost to get it up and running is extreme. Resources would be better spent on Attack Trolls and keeping your heroes in circulation.

• You must have Morgul Sorcery to build the Gorgoroth Spire.

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POWERS: ISENGARD

Isengard Overview WHY PLAY ISENGARD? 1. Like the other Evil factions, Isengard possesses a fantastic (probably the best) early game involving their infantry units and the ability to swarm and crush the enemy in short order. Like Mordor and the goblins, Isengard can produce ample units early to choke off the resource supply of their foes and move in for a quick and early kill. This puts them in good stead when dealing with players who choose the Elves or the Men of the West and who require more setup time to reap maximum benefit from their forces. 2. Isengard possesses the single best hero during the early game in Lurtz. This mountain of meat is a formidable opponent and does staggering amounts of damage while knocking enemy foes to and fro. He’s also a very good hero killer as he’s a fabulous melee warrior with his Cripple ability (he also can toggle between blade and bow, adding to his versatility). In the highend hero roles, Saruman is probably the best anti-unit hero in the game; he can lay waste to vast numbers of heroes with his repertoire of abilities. 3. In a more drawn-out battle, Isengard relies heavily on the various weapon and armor upgrades to outfit its troops adequately. This is because they start out with fairly buffed offensive and defensive abilities, so upgrades, for them, go a lot farther than for the other factions looking to put Middleearth to the sword. Isengard has a lot going for it in many ways. The key is that it has a pretty well-balanced game regardless of whether it’s early, middle, or late in a particular match; the units match up fairly well across the board. Other strengths: The Warg Riders have a huge advantage in dealing with structures in their Howl ability; a very cheap vision upgrade for the Fortress allows forces a much greater view of the map from early on (coupled with several powers that only expand on this); combining the War Chant power with the Shield Wall ability for Uruk Warriors grants a nearly invincible defensive formation from which to push back encroaching enemy forces. Another unit important to Isengard’s overall strategy is the Berserker. En masse it is probably the best non-hero, hero-killing unit in the game due to its fairly vicious damage output. It is very helpful when brought into play mid-game to deal with whatever hero your opponent decides to use.

TIER 1 Palantír Vision War Chant Crebain

TIER 3 Summon Watcher in the Water Freezing Rain Fuel the Fires

TIER 2 Devastation Tainted Land Summon Wild Men of Dunland Industry

TIER 4 Summon Dragon Dragon Strike

Recommended power selection:

1. Palantír Vision 2. Crebain

3. Tainted Land 4. Freezing Rain

Heroes Saruman Shortcut: S Cost: 3000

The great wizard Saruman leads the legions of Isengard and commands its mighty machine of industry. Saruman’s Wizard Blast can drive back a battalion of enemies.

ABILITIES WIZARD BLAST Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 30 seconds Shortcut: W

A close-range attack, Wizard Blast drives enemies back.

FIREBALL Required Rank: 2 Duration: Instant Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: R

Fireball is a single attack that does 400 percent damage to a target and 300 percent damage to the Nazgûl, the Witch-king, and Giant Eagles.

WORMTONGUE Required Rank: 4 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: N

At rank 4, Saruman can take control of enemy units.

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The Factions

SPEECH CRAFT

PILLAGE

Required Rank: 5 Duration: Instant Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: C

Required Rank: 6 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Allies targeted with Speech Craft gain 50 experience points.

Lurtz and his nearby allies gain bonus resources for each kill.

THUNDERBOLT

Sharku Shortcut: K Cost: 1200

Required Rank: 10 Duration: Instant Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: T

Thunderbolt allows Saruman to inflict a massive amount of magical damage to a single target at range.

An elite Warg Rider, Sharku has trained his mount to perform devastating attacks against his enemies.

Lurtz

ABILITIES

Shortcut: L Cost: 1200

TAME THE BEAST

Equally adept at the sword or the bow, Lurtz inspires nearby Urukhai to even greater destruction. Use his crippling strike to pin heroes to the ground.

ABILITIES TOGGLE WEAPON Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: T

Required Rank: 2 Duration: 60 seconds Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: T

Tame the Beast allows Sharku to control certain beasts in the world. He can use this power on any wild Warg, Warg Creep, or enemy Warg Rider. Any Warg affected by this power comes under Sharku’s control for 60 seconds. In a way it is a much more limited form of Untamed Allegiance.

BLOOD HUNT

Lurtz can switch between his melee and ranged weapons.

CRIPPLE

Required Rank: 5 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Blood Hunt centers a buff on Sharku’s position at all times. All Warg units in the area gain a leadership buff as well as a 50 percent boost to armor and damage output.

Required Rank: 1 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 30 seconds Shortcut: C

MAN EATER

The targeted hero becomes rooted for 30 seconds and cannot move.

CARNAGE Required Rank: 3 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 240 seconds Shortcut: R

Lurtz gains +20 percent armor and +200 percent damage.

Required Rank: 10 Duration: 20 seconds Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: R

Maneater is a single powerful attack that can be targeted on any horde infantry. The infantry is jumped by the Warg, shaken about, and eaten. Sharku’s heal is completely replenished and he gains a buff for 20 seconds.

LEADERSHIP Required Rank: 5 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Lurtz grants all units in his vicinity a 50 percent boost to their armor and damage output and doubles their experience gain rate.

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As you may have surmised, this is the generic building unit for Isengard. It creates all the structures in the game. It is important that one of these always be kept safe in the event your main Fortress is leveled.

Wormtongue Shortcut: W Cost: 800

Uruk Warrior Shortcut: R

Saruman’s spy, Wormtongue can backstab and take control of enemy units.

ABILITIES ESCAPE Required Rank: 1 Duration: 15 seconds Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: C

Escape allows Wormtongue to move while stealthy and shake off any attacks currently targeting him. He is stealthy for only 15 seconds and cannot attack or cast spells during this time. He cannot be detected regardless of range.

VENOMOUS WORDS Required Rank: 3 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: V

Venomous Words causes all enemies in an area to be de-buffed for 30 seconds. They cannot be affected by Leadership while in this demoralized state.

BACKSTAB Required Rank: 6 Duration: 20 seconds Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: T

Backstab strikes the target with a high-damage melee attack. Units hit by this are also poisoned for the next 20 seconds.

CORRODE ALLEGIANCE Required Rank: 10 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 180 seconds Shortcut: R

Corrode Allegiance grants Wormtongue control of any targeted hero for 30 seconds.

Units

The terrible warriors of Isengard ravage anything in their path—including Orcs. They are a fearsome enemy on the battlefield. These are good shock troops to start the game with. Their ability to go into Shield Wall, coupled with War Chant, makes them virtually indestructible to normal units. A fantastic unit for the maximum in defensive power (add upgraded armor for even more viability).

Uruk Pikeman Shortcut: P

Armed with long spears, Uruk Pikemen can skewer opposing Cavalry even while charging. The Uruk Pikemen are an excellent investment if the enemy is using Cavalry. Upgrade them with Forged Blades and stick them at the front of your formations to guard your more vulnerable forces from enemy Cavalry.

Uruk Crossbowman Shortcut: C

Uruk Crossbowmen can launch piercing iron bolts over long distances. As with any Archery unit, these function best with upgraded weaponry. Make sure you invest in Fire Arrows if you decide to spend heavily here.

Berserker Shortcut: K

These mighty fighters wield two-handed swords and can also light mines with their torches. Berserkers are the hero-killing unit. While some heroes (Lurtz, also of Isengard) are obviously good at taking down other heroes, Berserkers are, far and away, the best “normal” unit for such activity. Generate a clutch of these to hack apart even the hardiest heroes on the field.

• You can train Berserkers only at a level 2 Uruk Pit.

Builder Shortcut: L

This simple minion of evil can build a wide variety of structures for Isengard.

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The Factions

Wild Men of Dunland Shortcut: W

Buildings Furnace

These corrupted warriors were recruited by Saruman to scourge the land of Rohan. While these are better than the generic Orc infantry, the cost of building them (requiring an Inn, for starters) may make them somewhat questionable in value.

• The Wild Men of Dunland can only be recruited from an Inn or summoned by using the Summon Wild Men of Dunland power.

Warg Riders

Shortcut: C

The Furnace generates resources for the Isengard faction. Your command point limit increases by 50 with each Furnace.

Lumber Mill Shortcut: V

Shortcut: W

The thunder of the Warg Riders can terrify even the stoutest of soldiers. Warg Riders are very valuable when decimating resource structures with their Howl ability. There is no question that it is worth it to invest early on in their creation.

The trees near a Lumber Mill can be harvested for resources. The Lumber Mill is dependent upon Orc laborers, not land area, for its resource output efficiency.

Uruk Pit Shortcut: T

Battering Ram Shortcut: R

A crew of Uruks mans a battering ram, which can pound even the strongest structures or castle gates.

From these seething cauldrons come the dreaded Uruk Warriors, Pikemen, Berserkers, and Crossbowmen.

The Battering Ram is too slow to be effective. If you need siege equipment, use the Ballista.

Uruk Pits are versatile unit-creating structures, giving you just about everything you need in one self-contained, inexpensive structure.

Explosive Mine

• You can train Berserkers only at a level 2 Uruk Pit.

Shortcut: M

Warg Pit

When detonated by a Berserker next to a wall or gate, the Explosive Mine can turn the tide of battle in an instant. Berserkers must light their torch and touch the mine after the mine carriers have set the mine upon the ground. Fire arrows can also set off this bomb. These are interesting in concept but actual excecution leaves something to be desired. By the time a foe has significant walls erected (if at all), you’ll have access to bigger and better (and more resilient) means of taking down walls.

• You can build Explosive Mines only at a level 2 Siege Works.

Ballista Shortcut: L

When fired, the Ballista releases a huge arrow that can lay waste to its target. It is especially useful against structures and castle walls. The backbone of siege weapons, the Ballista is slow and an easy target for attackers but it does tremendous damage from a safe distance away. Just don’t expect its assault to go unnoticed for long.

• You can build a Ballista only at a level 3 Siege Works.

Shortcut: R

Out of these pits come the nasty Warg Riders who thunder across the lands of Middle-earth. You need one of these to build Wargs, so be sure to construct one early on.

Siege Works Shortcut: G

This efficient factory manufactures Battering Rams, Explosive Mines, and Ballistae.

• You can build Explosive Mines only at a level 2 Siege Works. • You can build a Ballista only at a level 3 Siege Works.

Lookout Tower Shortcut: L

This defensive Tower fires arrows at nearby enemies and can be garrisoned with Crossbowmen for greater damage output. Just to emphasize: while the Good factions receive the Battle Tower structure, the Evil factions get saddled with these. Your money can be better spent elsewhere.

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Arrow Tower Shortcut: R

This fearsome tower fires arrows at enemies who dare to approach it. You can upgrade it with Orcfire Munitions.

Warg Sentry Shortcut: Y

This defensive Warg attacks enemies that come within its range.

Without the Orcfire upgrade, these are more nuisance than anything else. However, add the upgrade and you now have a sturdy defense against weaker infantry units.

Mine Launcher Shortcut: M

Armory Shortcut: A

The Armory provides Isengard unit upgrades such as Heavy Armor, Forged Blades, and Flaming Arrows. Unlike most of the other factions, you should invest in all of the upgrades available here; Isengard derives a higher percentage boost from this gear that other factions would kill for.

• You can research Heavy Armor and Forged Blades only at a level 2 Armory. • You can research Fire Arrows only at a level 3 Armory.

Fortress

The loathsome Mine Launcher hurls explosive mines that ignite and damage the enemy. Fire is bad for living things and the Mine Launcher is a good illustration of this. This nasty defensive aid is definitely on the short list of things of weapons that can quickly decimate your foe.

Wall Hub Shortcut: W

Wall Hubs allow you to expand your castle walls. These allow you to expand walls beyond those connected directly to your Fortress.

Shortcut: F

The Fortress is the center of the Isengard base. You can customize it with improvements and expansions. Builders and heroes are recruited from the Fortress.

Fortress Upgrades Iron Plating Shortcut: I

From deep within Isengard’s fiery forges comes the Iron Plating upgrade, which grants the Isengard Fortress greater protection from enemy assaults.

Wall Hub Shortcut: W

Wall Hubs allow you to expand your castle walls. Wall hubs are used to expand your walls away from your Fortress.

Fortress Expansions Ballista

Iron plating is a must-have upgrade for fortifying your Fortress walls. It vastly increases the resilience of your main castle, allowing it to sustain a far greater beating than it otherwise could.

• Iron Plating is a prerequisite to the Wizard’s Tower.

Excavations Shortcut: X

Shortcut: L

The Ballista emplacement launches giant steel bolts at incoming enemies. The ballista is pain in a large, metal shaft. These are very good defensive units for your Fortress. They are large, do lots of damage, and have terrific range. However, be aware that they fire at where your target is at the moment of detonation, not where your target may have moved to.

When Isengard’s armies receive orders to begin Excavations, they erect scaffolding and descend into pits with cranes and pulleys attached. Excavations reduce the cost of Isengard structures and walls. Any upgrade that reduces costs is of dubious value, due to the actual size of the discount versus the initial structure cost. By and large, you won’t want to build this unless you have cash to burn.

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The Factions

Wall Hub

Murder of Crows Shortcut: C

Shortcut: W

Ordering a flock of crows to patrol increases the vision range of the Fortress. Crows also add a permanent stealth detection radius around the Fortress.

Wall Hubs allow you to expand your castle walls.

This is a definite must-have structure due to its shroud-revealing abilities and its power to strip away the protection from stealth units.

Unit Upgrades

Orcfire Munitions

Banner Carrier

Shortcut: F

Shortcut: N

Orcfire Munitions upgrade your Arrow Tower expansions with fiery projectiles. You’ll need this if you intend to construct Arrow Dens. If not, you can safely pass.

Burning Forges Shortcut: M

The Banner Carrier displays the veterancy of your units and grants all troops in the horde healing bonuses.

• The Banner Carrier must be researched in the Armory. • You can equip a Banner Carrier only on a level 1 horde.

Torches

The Burning Forge builds the coveted Urukhai square sword and reduces the cost of Isengard unit upgrades. This reduces the cost of unit upgrades. However, this isn’t the best place to invest funds unless you already have sufficient resources banked that you don’t need elsewhere.

Shortcut: T

When equipped with Torches, the Wild Men of Dunland are fierce opponents with both weapons and fire. Torches can automatically be purchased without having to be researched.

Heavy Armor

Wizard’s Tower

Shortcut: V

Shortcut: W

The Wizard’s Tower can shoot a lightning bolt out of the sky at any location on the map. This lightning bolt does fire damage to any troops in the vicinity.

Warriors wearing Heavy Armor are tougher to defeat by no small measure.

• Heavy Armor must be researched at a level 2 Armory.

This nasty little attack is fantastic because not only does it do grievous damage, but it can also strike anywhere on the map. It’s a good way to keep your opponent on his toes, since he’ll never know when it’s coming.

Forged Blades

• You must have Iron Plating to build the Wizard’s Tower.

The enemies of Isengard have come to fear its forces armed with Forged Blades.

Wall Upgrades

Shortcut: L

• FORGED BLADES MUST BE RESEARCHED AT A LEVEL 2 ARMORY.

Gate Shortcut: G

This primary defensive gate can be opened and closed for strategic deployment. You can use this to allow large groups of infantry and siege weapons in an out of your heavily fortified Fortress. Be aware that this is a weak spot in your defenses and build up accordingly.

Fire Arrows Shortcut: W

Uruk Crossbowmen eagerly await the arrival of Fire Arrows to their horde to increase their damage against Ents and structures.

• Fire Arrows must be researched at a level 3 Armory.

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Goblins Overview WHY PLAY THE GOBLINS? 1. The goblins have the best 5-point spells in the game, all of them extremely useful: Cave Bats for opening up the map; Tainted Land for a very large buff radius; War Chant for a mobile buff radius. These are all cheap and effective, and are earned very, very quickly. 2. Overall, goblins have the best rush in the game due to the speed of Goblin Warriors and, following on that, Spiderlings. Constructing waves of these and sending them careening against an unprepared foe from the outset will likely net you quite a few victories until someone constructs an adequate strategy to defend against it (primarily involving keeping resource structures at close range and building up defenses very quickly). 3. Not only do they have shock and awe on their side, but goblins have some very powerful heroes at their beck and call, with Shelob in the lead and topped off with Drogoth. Even Gorkil, the Goblin King, is a meddlesome monster. Though the goblins only have three, they’re three of the best hero units in the game.

The goblins are pure high-speed evil. If you’re battling them, you can literally count the seconds before a wise player knocks at your door with several units of Goblin Warriors followed up by Spiderlings en masse. Because of their speed, they’ll be all over your resource structures in a flash, and with the Cave Bat power at their command, they know exactly where you’re putting them. This makes defending against an early goblin raid extremely difficult. Not only is their early game a nightmare, but they transition into Half-Troll Marauders, Cave Trolls, and Mountain Giants, giving them legs if they actually need to work beyond the initial blitzkrieg. They’re joined by Spider Riders, which is a powerful Cavalry unit that moves very fast, making their second wave just as troublesome from a shock and awe point of view.

POWERS: GOBLINS TIER 1 War Chant Tainted Land Cave Bats

TIER 3 Awaken Wyrm Darkness Summon Watcher in the Water

TIER 2 Summon Wild Men of Dunland Scavengers Untamed Allegiance Summon Spiderlings

TIER 4 Summon Dragon Summon Balrog

Recommended power selection:

1. Cave Bats 2. Tainted Land

3. War Chant 4. Summon Wild Men of Dunland

Heroes Gorkil, the Goblin King Shortcut: G Cost: 3000

The Goblin King commands his forces from his Fortress in the Ettenmoors. Riding a giant scorpion, the Goblin King can use his minion to poison enemies.

ABILITIES Skull Totem Required Rank: 2 Duration: Until destroyed Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: T

A Skull Totem can be placed in the ground at any targeted location. When it’s cast, Gorkil approaches the location and plants the totem. The Skull Totem clears the shroud (100-foot radius), detects stealth (50-foot radius), and provides a damage, experience, and armor bonus to nearby units.

If goblins have a weakness, it’s poor tier 2 powers and a relative lack of defensive prowess. If you can weather the initial storm and retaliate in short order, goblins will be at your mercy as they won’t have time to muster their Cave Troll/Mountain Giant/Spider Rider second wave.

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The Factions

Wing Blast Required Rank: 3 Duration: 20 seconds Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: W

Mount Required Rank: 3 Duration: Instant Recharge: 2 seconds Shortcut: M

The Goblin King can mount or dismount his scorpion at will. Leadership

When using Wing Blast, the dragon hovers in place at the targeted location and flaps its wings furiously, causing a windstorm directly beneath. This does solid damage and pushes units at its focal point out of the way. Fire Flight

Required Rank: 4 Duration: Constant Recharge: N/A Shortcut: N/A

Leadership provides a 50 percent boost to armor and damage output and doubles experience gain for all units in his vicinity. Poisoned Stinger Required Rank: 6 Duration: 30 seconds Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: R

Required Rank: 6 Duration: Instant Recharge: 120 seconds Shortcut: T

When the dragon uses Fire Flight it shoots forth a giant flaming “firework” dragon, roughly the size of itself. The firework dragon can be fired at any target. It shoots forward from the Dragon Lord and homes in on its target like a missile, exploding when it arrives. Incinerate

Poisoned Stinger allows Gorkil’s scorpion to use the poison in its tail weapon to stun an enemy. The targeted unit is rooted in place for 15 seconds and is poisoned for the next 30 seconds. Call from the Deep Required Rank: 10 Duration: 90 seconds Recharge: 180 seconds Shortcut: C

Required Rank: 10 Duration: Instant Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: C

The dragon moves into range of the target or area and burns the location in a cone-shaped area of effect, doing massive damage to friend and foe alike, so be careful.

Shelob

Call from the Deep opens a crack in the ground. Out of said crack pour three Fire Drakes, which join the goblin forces for their duration.

Drogoth

Shortcut: S Cost: 2000

This legendary spider can tunnel under terrain and stab enemies with her poisoned stinger.

ABILITIES

Shortcut: D Cost: 5000

Instill Terror Required Rank: 3 Duration: Instant Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: I

One of the oldest and fiercest of his kind, the Dragon Lord makes his home in the wastelands of the Withered Heath. Fighting Dwarf and Orc alike, Drogoth has an unsteady alliance with the goblins.

Instill Terror causes all units near Shelob to run away in mortal fear.

ABILITIES

Poison Stinger Required Rank: 6 Duration: Instant Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: R

Fireball Required Rank: 1 Duration: Instant Recharge: 60 seconds Shortcut: R

Fireball is a targeted, ranged fireball attack. The fireball is similar to that of a Mordor Catapult, doing good damage to structures and units. Damage is fire- and magic-based and is best employed against enemy heroes.

Stinger allows Shelob to use the poison in her tail weapon to stun an enemy. The targeted unit is rooted in place for 15 seconds and takes additional damage each second over the next 30 seconds as it is poisoned.

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Spider Rider Shortcut: R

Tunnel Required Rank: 10 Duration: Instant Recharge: 90 seconds Shortcut: T

Shelob can dig into the ground at any location and come up at any terrain on the map within 500 feet.

Units

These elite goblin forces are able to equip either bows or poison-tipped spears. This nasty collection of Cavalry units is hardy and, again, fast (this is a common theme amongst Goblin units, overall). Place Spider Riders at the front of a marauding army so that they can crush weaker units under their six, thundering legs. They can also switch between melee and ranged weapons as an added bonus.

• You can train Spider Riders only at a level 2 Spider Pit.

Builder

Half-Troll Marauder

Shortcut: L

Shortcut: M

The goblin Builder can construct a variety of structures. Builders are the standard building unit for the goblins. It creates all the structures in the game. It is important that one of these always be kept safe in the event your main fortress is leveled.

Goblin Warrior Shortcut: W

These vile creatures wield fearsome pikes and are lethal against all manner of Cavalry and monsters. If you find yourself unable to overcome a foe in the early game, these are the weapon to use going into the mid-game. These monsters are brutal warriors and do fantastic damage. They are also, like most Pikemen units, far more resilient to damage and can reach over each other to stab at enemy forces.

These goblin swordsmen have the special ability to climb walls and use their poisoned blades.

Cave Troll

They’re fast, they can climb walls, and they can poison enemy troops—what more do you need to know? Build lots of them and send them in crushing waves at the outset of the battle.

These heavy, slow beasts can swing trees as clubs or throw large rocks at the enemy. When wounded, a troll is the worry of all nearby units.

Goblin Archer

• You can train Cave Trolls only at a level 2 Fissure.

Shortcut: A

Shortcut: C

Mountain Giant

Goblin Archers are equipped with deadly bows and can fire poisoned arrows for lethal attacks. Like their melee-based brethren, these terrors can fire off poisoned arrows to make a foe’s life particularly miserable. Load up on these with the melee units and tear a foe apart in record time.

Spiderlings Shortcut: L

Emerging from the forest of Mirkwood, these eight-legged terrors can be upgraded with poison Venom Sacs.

Shortcut: G

Fabled creatures of Middle-earth, Mountain Giants are able to hurl heavy boulders at enemy structures and stomp their opponents into submission. As the game progresses and you move into the latter part of the game, you can start bringing these bruisers into play. Three or four of these destroy most structures in no time flat. And if they’re minced at close range, you can switch to melee and watch enemy units fly.

• You can train Mountain Giants only at a level 3 Fissure.

While they’re technically considered Cavalry units, Spiderlings don’t bowl enemies over like other Calvary. However, they are cheaper than other Cavalry and they are very, very fast. Send swarms of these out to menace enemy resource structures while the basic units savage an enemy base.

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The Factions

Spider Pit

Fire Drake Shortcut: F

Shortcut: D

This dragon has not yet developed the ability of flight. However, its deadly fire blast makes it a fearsome foe. If there’s any reason to upgrade your Fortress, this is it. Fire Drakes are probably an enemy’s worst nightmare. They are incredibly resilient and their fire-spouting ability lays waste to entire battalions in one, caustic breath.

• You can only summon the Fire Drake once your Fortress has the Dragon’s Nest upgrade.

Buildings

Goblins train Spiderlings and Spider Riders, and research Venom Sacs at the Spider Pit. This the second most important structure after the Cave. This is where you crank out lightning-quick Spiderlings to make life more harried for your adversary.

• You can train Spider Riders only at a level 2 Spider Pit. • You can research Venom Sacs only at a level 3 Spider Pit.

Goblin Fissure Shortcut: R

Tunnel

Recruit Half-Troll Marauders, Cave Trolls, and Mountain Giants from the Fissure.

Shortcut: T

The Tunnel generates resources and provides access to the goblin Tunnel network. Your command point limit increases by 50 with each Tunnel.

This is an important structure to have for your mid-game. The Half-Troll Marauders are truly evil opponents and the Mountain Giants are nearly unstoppable in groups.

As if goblins weren’t fast enough, their ability to erect these Tunnels allows them to spread across the map like a plague. This becomes more important if your foe can survive your initial onslsaught.

• You can train Cave Trolls only at a level 2 Fissure. • You can train Mountain Giants only at a level 3 Fissure.

Lumber Mill

Sentry Tower Shortcut: Y

This short-range defensive tower fires arrows at incoming enemies.

Shortcut: V

The trees near a Lumber Mill can be harvested for resources. The Lumber Mill is dependent upon goblin laborers, not land area, for its resource output efficiency.

The key here is recognizing that this Tower has short range—don’t build too many of these as they are easily destroyed and do very little damage, overall.

This is the secondary resource source for goblins. Keep in mind that you need trees and have to keep the workers alive for this to be viable.

Treasure Trove

Cave

The Treasure Trove allows for the research of goblin unit upgrades, including Scavenged Armor, Forged Blades, and Fire Arrows.

Shortcut: C

This infantry-production building trains Goblin Warriors and Goblin Archers. This is the most important early game structure for the goblins. Get this up and start flooding your foe with Warriors and scattered batches of Archers.

Shortcut: V

If your initial rush burns out, you need to get a Treasure Trove up and running to add Fire Arrows to your repertoire at some point.

Fortress Shortcut: F

The Fortress is the center of a goblin base. You can customize it with a variety of improvements and expansions. Builders and heroes are recruited from the Fortress.

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Bat Cloud Shortcut: C

Fortress Expansions Spider Holes Shortcut: P

Dangerous Spiderlings spring forth from the Spider Holes and attack any nearby enemies.

Bat Cloud is a necessary upgrade simply for its vision-increasing benefits. The stealth detection is merely a bonus.

This is a good idea if you find your enemy relying on close-range attacks to raze your Fortress. Otherwise, you will likely find little use for it.

Web Cocoon

Burrows Shortcut: R

Burrows allow goblin troops to enter and leave the goblin Fortress undetected by the enemy. You can squirrel away infantry in these and move them about the map via Tunnels— without your enemy knowing they’re there. This can be a solid upgrade if you need to rush troops in elsewhere for a last minute defense.

Arrow Den

Shortcut:W

This tough Web Cocoon covers the goblin Fortress in webs, offering it additional protection from attack. As with the other factions, the goblins get their own Fortress armor-boosting aid. This is a very important upgrade as it fortifies your walls against attack, rendering your castle far more resilient to damage.

• The Web Cocoon is a prerequisite for the Dragon’s Nest.

Fire Arrows Shortcut: F

The Fire Arrows upgrade equips Arrow Dens with flaming projectiles.

Shortcut: D

Goblin troops armed with bows automatically attack any enemies within range.

If you build Arrow Dens, you need this upgrade for them to be worthwhile.

This is a weak attack. While it can be good for antagonizing weaker enemy units, by and large it’s not worth the cost of construction.

Dragon’s Nest

Giant Sentry

The goblin Fortress, when equipped with a Dragon’s Nest, can summon the Fire Drake to the battlefield.

Shortcut: R

The Giant Sentry throws boulders at any enemy forces in the vicinity. As with any Catapult-type weapons, these Giant Sentries hurl stones toward the area your enemy was in at the time of deployment. Therefore, they are slightly inaccurate if your target is mobile. They are much like the free-standing Mountain Giants, however, and do lots of damage.

Fortress Upgrades Razor Spines Shortcut: R

These nasty jagged spines damage any hostile unit coming within close range of the Fortress.

Ordering Bat Cloud increases the vision range of the Fortress. Bat Cloud also adds a permanent stealth-detection radius around the Fortress.

This is a good upgrade if you have enemies eager to get up close and personal with your Fortress. If not, the money is better spent somewhere else.

Shortcut: D

Dragon’s Nest is an expensive but deadly upgrade. Generally speaking, however, your enemy likely won’t last long enough for you to employ this in battle.

• You must have a Web Cocoon in order to build a Dragon’s Nest.

Unit Upgrades Banner Carrier Shortcut: N

The Banner Carrier displays the veterancy of your units and grants all troops in the horde healing bonuses.

• The Banner Carrier must be researched in the Treasure Trove. • You can equip a Banner Carrier only on a level 1 horde.

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The Factions

Scavenged Armor Fire Arrows

Shortcut: V

When wearing Scavenged Armor, goblins become a force to be reckoned with.

• Scavenged Armor must be researched at the Treasure Trove.

Shortcut: W

Flaming arrows from the bows of goblin Archers inflict devastating fire damage on enemies.

• Fire Arrows must be researched at a level 3 Treasure Trove.

Forged Blades

Venom Sacs

Shortcut: L

These blades, tempered in fire, inflict greater damage on all goblin enemies.

•Forged Blades must be researched at a level 2 Treasure Trove.

Shortcut: V

Goblin-allied Spiderlings, when armed with deadly Venom Sacs, are fearsome to behold on the battlefield.

• Venom Sacs must be researched at a level 3 Spider Pit.

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GOOD CAMPAIGN Mission 1: Rivendell Primary • Warn Rivendell of the approaching goblin army. • Defend Rivendell from attack. • Purge the goblin infestation to the south.

Bonus • Level Gloin up. • Create units in Elven Barracks.

Glorfindel

Gloin

Elrond

Arwen

Gwahir

NONE

Goblin Warrior Goblin Archer Mountain Giant Troll

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Start Enemy Encounter Objective

Good Campaign

Mission Overview The war has found its way to the very gates of Rivendell, and only Glorfindel and his stoic band of Elves can drive them back from whence they came. This very first mission in the Good campaign is fairly straightforward, with simple objectives (both primary and bonus) to help sharpen your blade for the trials that lie ahead. You pick up the basics in a fairly nonthreatening environment, though there are still plenty of opportunities to shower the earth with voluminous gouts of goblin ichor. You also familiarize yourself with foes that make return appearances as the game progresses, as well as meet your first boss-type monster.

GENERAL TIPS • As you’re just starting out, now is a good time to acquaint yourself with the concepts you gleaned from the tutorial(s): basic movement, combat, and unit management. • You should earn sufficient power points to gain at least three of the stage 1 powers. We recommend you go with Elven Gifts (first power), followed by Enshrouding Mist and Elven Wood— you can pick up Heal later. • Remember: Glorfindel provides a Leadership bonus, so try to keep your troops in his general vicinity so that they reap the rewards of rapid experience accumulation. • Also keep in mind that Glorfindel and Gloin spend a lot of time in your employ, so focus on leveling them up when possible by having them lead the charge into battles. • That also means that Arwen and Elrond should be there only as backup and shouldn’t be gaining experience that the other two can readily use, so employ them only when absolutely necessary. • You have a sizable force to control, so get used to the following shortcuts (this will serve you well later): E (for selecting all of a particular unit type) and c + 1, c + 2, etc. (for setting up hot key groups on the number keys).

Walkthrough The mission begins with Glorfindel and his complement of troops in the southwest corner ( S ) of the map. The first battle lies just up the road, but first break your team into groups and assign them via c to the various units (in this case, Glorfindel to one key and the rest to another). Then put Glorfindel in the saddle by pressing M, so that he derives all the benefits of being a Cavalry unit.

TIP Because you start with five power points, you can acquire one new power from the outset from a pool of four. Pick up Elven Gifts now.

HOT KEYS While utilizing the hot keys can be a big help in Campaign mode, it becomes absolutely necessary in Skirmish and Multiplayer modes when you have to skip from group to group at a moment’s notice to put out fires wherever they may appear. To this end, move the mouse while holding down the left button to draw a box around the units you want to act together as a larger group. Once they are highlighted, hold down c plus any number key to assign them to that particular number key. This allows you to seize control of a given party whenever the situation demands. Learn this early on because it becomes absolutely vital as the game progresses.

TIP Sometimes it’s a good idea to hot key just a hero to one button (without any other units). This allows you to keep better track of that particular unit and to be able to send him or her where individually needed. The first battle is joined (1) as your band of Elves clashes with its first group of fetid goblins. Take these early battles head on: Have your units meet the enemy units in a glorious clash of blades (keep Glorfindel near your troops) until the goblins are vanquished.

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Proceeding, you encounter another valiant band of Elves already engaged in battle with another squad of goblins (2). Rush forward to save them from the encroaching horde, then add the band of Elves to your own forces by either assigning them to their own hot key or merging them with a preexisting group (simply reselect all the units in question and reassign the hot key to the new, larger squad). Once they’re on board, head onward.

NOTE Units gain a damage bonus when flanking enemy units; i.e., attacking them from the side or rear. Keep this in mind when facing large groups of foes.

Next up is another band of goblins (this time with Archers) assaulting a Mallorn Tree (3). While you won’t be able to save the tree, you can avenge its destruction. Though you can see two goblin groups immediately, more come from the east as you engage this first band, so be wary! As you engage the enemies, make sure you have Glorfindel literally lead the charge, trampling foes in the process. Proceeding east once more, you soon spot the bridge leading to Rivendell (4). There, another legion of Lorien Warriors is already engaged in a pitched battle. Render them assistance by striking at the rear of the goblin horde. Once the band has been eradicated, journey across the bridge to the very gates of the Elven city (5).

NOTE Upon reaching Rivendell’s gates, you have completed the first primary objective.

Once inside the fabled city, head north, following the shaft of light, to meet up with mighty Elrond and your Dwarven ally, Gloin. Elrond informs you of the current situation, and both he and Gloin join your squad.

A BRIEF WORD ON HEROES If there’s one thing that’s of keen importance in The Battle for Middleearth II, it’s the absolute necessity of understanding the role of heroes. These über-beings are single-handedly capable of turning the tide in your favor when things look bleak. They generally bring a huge array of powers with them (many with the key ability of Leadership), and they are much more resilient than even an entire battalion at comparable level. They get vastly more powerful with each level up, and they cap at level 10, as opposed to level 5 for normal units. If a hero is taken out in combat, that is a tremendous problem for your side; make haste in returning him or her to the field of battle (by visiting your Fortress). Once you have Gloin and Elrond in tow, you can complete the bonus objective of training a battalion of Lorien Warriors at one of the two nearby Barracks (6). Train two battalions and wait until they’re on the field before moving toward the southwest of Rivendell—you need these battalions for the next battle.

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Good Campaign

Proceeding forward, engage the first wave of in-city goblins (7). This is a fairly large group, so make sure that the two battalions you have just created are in tow before heading down the road. Fight tooth and nail to drive the goblins back. If you arrive at the battle at a full charge, attempt to flank the onrushing wave, which makes things slightly easier. After that wave is downed, two battalions of Archers join your troops. This also allows you to build them in your Barracks at this time. You’ve scarcely beaten back that first wave of enemies when a second mob issues from the same direction (7). This time they’ve brought a Mountain Giant and some trolls with them. On the plus side, they’re more interested in taking out structures than in your troops, so take them out as they come; afterward, Arwen and two battalions of Rivendell Lancers (Cavalry) join you.

The goal from here is simple: Ride out and crush the goblin encampment that has managed to sully the land. Focus on one structure at a time and raze it to the ground, moving directly west from the bridge. However, if you encounter resistance take out your enemies first. The Giant Eagles are a great help, as they can handle this entire battle almost entirely alone—not that you should let them, lest you deny Gloin and Glorfindel the ability to level up. Also, you encounter some Mountain Giants as you cut deeper into the base—concentrate on taking them down as quickly as possible, as their boulder-tossing antics can wreak havoc on your troops. Remember: You have plenty of Cavalry to crush your foes, so be sure to use them in that capacity!

NOTE

CAUTION

Gloin should reach level 2 after the second wave (8) is completed, thereby clearing that objective.

Now it’s time to remove the goblin threat from Elven lands altogether. With a sizable force, head through the gates of Rivendell and across the far side of the bridge. On the opposite side, prep your troops and take your second power (you should now have enough power points to grab another one). This time pick up Elven Wood. You’re joined by a pair of Giant Eagles, who come in very handy.

Just before you destroy the final goblin structure, move your army out of the way by sending them back to Rivendell, except for your heroes. Have the heroes destroy the final structure so that only they face the upcoming Wyrm!

After the Wyrm erupts from the ground (9), send in all your heroes to destroy it. As your squad moves in, use Elven Wood and Enshrouding Mist, both focused on the Wyrm, to vastly increase the odds in your favor. While the Wyrm is a fearsome enemy, it can be destroyed in short order by the combined force of your powers and your heroes.

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COMBOING BUFFS AND DEBUFFS Combining various powers can be a very effective way of dealing with large masses of foes. In the case of the Campaign, using Elven Wood and Enshrouding Mist as a one-two punch can have devastating effects on a group of enemies. As Elven Wood boosts your alliesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; effectiveness over its area of effect, Enshrouding Mist decreases your enemiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; effectiveness. This makes enemies little more than meat for the grinder, as long as you can keep the battle centered on the Elven Wood. This strategy serves you well throughout the Campaign and also as a general concept in Multiplayer and Skirmish modes.

NOTE You can also hold the Archers in reserve and use them to shell the Wyrm from a distance with volleys of arrows.

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Good Campaign

Mission 2: High Pass Primary • Establish a base at High Pass. • Destroy the Goblin Camp. • Kill the Watcher in the Water.

Bonus • Kill all Mountain Giants (x3). • Destroy the goblin Mine Shafts (x3). • Destroy the Giant Fissures (x3).

Glorfindel

Gloin

14 4

Haldir

9 NONE

10 Goblin Warrior Goblin Archer Cave Troll Spider Rider Mountain Giant Watcher in the Water

5 2

Start Enemy Encounter Objective

S Mission Overview With High Pass overrun by goblin invaders, Glorfindel and Gloin have to cut a swath through the arrayed army to continue on their adventure. This mission introduces you to the concept of building structures to help you on your way. While a Fortress is preexistent, resource generation, troop quarters, and other buildings must be erected if you’re to have a hope of defeating the enemies that lie ahead.

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GENERAL TIPS • Unlike the first mission, this time around you have to build structures. This requires that you manage resources to some degree, so you may find yourself holding down the fort and waiting for your reserves to be replenished—this generally isn’t a big deal during the campaigns, but it could be a problem in Multiplayer mode. • On this map, you engage in an activity known as “farming” for the first time. It’s a means of leveling up your units and heroes with little overall threat to your party. This tactic serves you well in all modes of gameplay in BFMEII. • Another very important strategy is the use of Battle Towers along with Heroic Statues to build supply lines for your troops as fallback positions and for leveling up rapidly—this is crucial in lengthy Skirmish/Multiplayer games. • Make sure to pick up Heal as your ability this time out. You may also accrue enough points to pick up Tom Bombadil, one of the most useful units in the game.

Walkthrough The first order of business is to have your Builders erect the various structures necessary to complete the base (1). First up is a Mallorn Tree, the Elves’ key structure for resource generation. Hit B to select the nearest free Builder and the sidebar to the right of the screen slides out. Click on the Mallorn Tree (or press R), then place it anywhere that gives you at least 80 percent effectiveness. After that, build two more to keep the resources rolling in at a steady clip.

Next up, construct a Barracks (C), from which you can produce more Soldiers, and a Green Pasture (A), from which Cavalry may be issued. Select the area behind your Fortress to plant them, and have your Builders erect one of each. Afterward, queue up two battalions of Lorien Archers and one battalion of Rivendell Lancers to bolster your army. Now construct an Eregion Forge (G) and proceed to upgrade it to level 3. Once that occurs, immediately invest in Silverthorn Arrows to upgrade your Archers with. When they’re constructed, highlight the Archers and select the Silverthorn Arrow upgrade to equip them with heavy firepower. While the upgrades are taking place, however… …erect a Battle Tower (L) at the mouth of your base (2). Don’t move too far north or you alert the goblins lurking just off-screen. Erect the Tower and then immediately upgrade it with Silverthorn Arrows. After that, build a Heroic Statue (I) just behind the Tower, as close to it as possible. Finally, place the two upgraded battalions of Archers in the Tower.

RESOURCE EFFICIENCY Anytime you attempt to place a resource-generating structure, you will see that it has a percentage over it. These percentages refer to the efficiency with which it harvests resources for you, up to its maximum at 100%. The better the efficiency, the more resources you earn with each tick of the clock, so it’s always a good idea to go for higher efficiency. There are times when you may only want to do a land grab simply to control as much of the resources on the map as possible (since your foe is competing for the same) and, in those cases, attempting to stay in the 75% range (or even less on a smaller map) is a viable strategy.

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SUPPLY LINE: TOWER PLUS STATUE As you extend your grip over a given territory, it’s wise to have fall-back points. Placing a Battle Tower and Heroic Statue every so often creates a supply line so that your troops always have somewhere to retreat. The addition of the Statue means they don’t have to have a hero with Leadership ability nearby to crank up their rate of leveling. Upgraded Towers (for any faction) garrisoned with additional missile-based attackers (such as Archers) allow you to shred onrushing foes. With your Battle Tower erected and garrisoned with upgraded Archers, erect a Watch Tower on a build plot around your Fortress. After that, have your heroes (Gloin and Glorfindel) head north, past the Tower, to the nearby Goblin Lair. Lay waste to it to help them level a bit, then hold there until hordes of goblins sweep in from the west and east. Lure them back to the Tower and watch them be torn to bits. With that taken care of, send Gloin and Glorfindel west (3) to take out the next Lair and a small group of Archers to the southwest.

Now send Gloin and Glorfindel north (4), where they encounter a “small” problem in the form of a Mountain Giant blocking their path. With that route blocked, return to the Tower (2) and gather up your entire force (leave the Archers in the Tower, however). Proceed east from your base (5) and you spot another group of enemies. Pull them back to your Tower and have your main army meet them just as they get within range of the Tower so that everyone shares in the experience bonus. After that wave (along with one of the Mountain Giants) goes down, head back east (5) with your entire army in tow (including Archers) and take out any resistance, along with the Goblin Cave.

TIP At this point you should have sufficient resources to purchase the upgraded armor option at the forge. This nearly doubles the effectiveness of your armor.

FERTILE LAIRS: FARMING 101 The primary function of lairs is their potential to level up your troops much more quickly than they otherwise could be, given the lack of enemies on a Multiplayer map. Farm these as much as possible by killing only the enemies that lurk outside of them—leave the lair itself alone so that you can keep taking out mobs as they emerge from the structure. This ensures a steady stream of experience for leveling up your units rather than wasting the resources on the Banner Carrier upgrade. Note: If you can’t control a lair, destroy it—do not leave it for your foe to profit from! With the Goblin Cave (5) and subsequent squads of goblins crushed, proceed to the next enemy structure (6) and destroy it. Hold there for another wave or two of enemies racing in from the east, then make sure to upgrade the armor of all your units. Separate your Archers and heroes into one group and your Cavalry and fighters into another.

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Beginning a two-pronged assault, send your Archers and heroes east (7) to take out the structures and squads of Archers pouring in from the north. You earn a new objective at this point. Once that initial wave of foes and the two nearby structures are destroyed, prepare to send your team north to destroy the Cave Troll Lair. Before you do that, however, send your second squad north (8) to take out the Mountain Giant lying in wait. As the second squad is cutting down the Giant, send the first team to take out the Cave Troll Lair.

MULTITASKING Why separate your group into two squads? As you’ll discover in Multiplayer mode, it becomes important very quickly that you can control multiple fronts of a battle at once. If you can’t adequately multitask (switching back and forth with hot keys), you’re not fighting at anywhere near full effectiveness. This is especially true if you need to defend your base and attack your foes at the same time.

After both fronts are completed, regroup (8), then bring forth a Builder from your camp to erect a Tower on this very spot, then erect a Statue as well. Use this spot as a choke point for a band of foes that is lured into the killing field. In a Multiplayer game, this is called establishing your supply line.

NOTE Don’t worry about Haldir—he won’t perish while you take care of this important bit of business.

Have Glorfindel mount his steed and send him west (9) to lure masses of enemies back toward your newly erected Tower (8); watch as your enemies are decimated while your units level at a very rapid clip. Afterward, have all your units gather near Haldir (9) to prepare to rescue the trapped Elf and his crew. Send your army crashing into the hapless goblins (10), trapping them in a vise between the mighty Haldir and your forces. The goblins go down very quickly, allowing you to turn your attention to the nearby lair. Once that burns, take out the other nearby Goblin Cave (11).

CAUTION Please be aware that while you are taking care of business, additional waves of goblins may arrive from other parts of the map to menace you. Although they fold easily, stay alert to this so some of your units don’t get caught completely unaware. With Haldir now aboard, head all the way northwest (12). The goblin encampment here proves nowhere near strong enough for your current force. While it sometimes pays to be cautious, this is a good illustration of just how devastating your upgraded army can be against a sizable force. Ride roughshod into the base and destroy everything in sight. Then turn your sights to the Giant Fissure and Treasure (13) just a bit to the south.

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NOTE If you’ve been hoarding power points up until this moment, you should have nearly a dozen. Pick up Heal if you haven’t already done so.

Once more send Glorfindel forward to lure the nearby group of Spider Riders and their cohorts to where your Archers can make short work of them. After that, the Watcher in the Water (15) likely springs up to menace your army. Send all of your units to the south and let the Archers destroy the monstrosity from afar. It goes down quickly against your level 5 units. Then hit the last Giant Fissure to complete the map!

Heading back to the east (14), take out the Towers you pass, then group up and prepare for the final set of battles just around the bend ahead. If your units are wounded, give them time to heal and also consider constructing another Battle Tower for backup if things get hairy. When you’re ready, send Glorfindel around the corner to lure enemy units back to your position so you can lay waste to them. Once the path ahead is devoid of enemy units, start taking out the structures in the southern part of the goblin base, beginning with the Goblin Cave, Sentry Tower, and Mine Shafts. Once you take out that final Mine Shaft, you have cleared one of the bonus objectives. Take out the remainder of the camp. Prep your troops at the southern edge of the camp.

CAUTION A Watcher shows up if you delve too far north (15) from here, so be careful when you move in and send only one unit to wake it from its slumber.

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Mission 3: Ettenmoors Primary • Reach the Elven settlement. • Clear the Elven settlement. • Free the dormant Ent Moot. • Kill the Goblin King.

Bonus • Destroy the giant drum. • Destroy eight goblin Mineshafts. • Destroy the goblin Outposts.

Glorfindel

Gloin

Haldir

Gorkil Goblin King

Goblin Horde Goblin Archer Spiderling Spider Rider Half-Troll Marauder Mountain Giant

5 4

19 3

Start Enemy Encounter Objective Treasure

Allies

Mission Overview Having successfully exited the High Pass, the group now finds itself in the Ettenmoors, where they must once more drive back the goblin hordes. This is the final stand for this wretched race, with the Goblin King himself waiting at its conclusion, ensconced in his black fortress at the far end of the map.

You must build a base, construct an army, and destroy Sauron’s grip on the region through the raw force of steel and power.

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GENERAL TIPS • This is the first mission where you must defend a base you construct from scratch, so there are many valuable lessons to learn about building ample defenses. • You’re going to notice a pattern here: upgraded Archers and upgraded Battle Towers garrisoned with Archers are forces to be reckoned with. • Remember to use power points! This time out, pick up Tom Bombadil and Rallying Call, respectively.

Proceeding north (5) you run afoul of some Spiderlings and another squad of goblins. Make short work of these interlopers and then it’s just a stone’s throw to the Elven encampment ahead.

Walkthrough As this mission opens, Haldir departs for the time being, leaving you and your small band to fend for yourselves. Immediately send part of your force to grab the Treasure (2) and send the rest to meet up with the Lorien Archers (3). Immediately take out the onrushing horde of goblins, then regroup.

The encampment (6) is under siege by several groups of goblins. Concentrate on one group at a time until they fold. With that, you’ve completed one of the primary objectives.

Proceed west (4), taking out the foes you come across. Hordes rush you from the north, west, and east, so be on your toes. You are joined by another squad of Archers coming in from the north, so be careful that they don’t get cut down while you aren’t paying attention.

Before long you hit the Tunnel (4)—take out the Archers on the ridge above before taking out the Tunnel or their flaming arrows will thin your ranks.

Now rapidly construct a base. This sequence is excellent practice for Multiplayer mode insofar as honing your ability to build several structures simultaneously while also managing your resource flow. Build up the following:

1. A Fortress near the shore in the west to protect the rear. 2. At least three Mallorn Trees in the general vicinity of the Fortress—in this case, waive the normal “at least 80 percent” efficiency rule and build trees to the south if need be. 3. Construct an Eregion Forge and immediately start upgrading it to level 3 (primarily for the Silverthorn Arrows upgrade). 4. Seize the nearby tech building (an Inn), which allows you to produce hobbit units. 5. A Barracks is necessary, so construct one, then immediately start turning out Archery units. 6. Set up three pairs of Battle Towers and Heroic Statues to protect the area around your Fortress—these are imperative because you must repulse several waves of enemies.

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TIP Once the base is set up, immediately start loading the Archers into the Towers as they are completed.

TIP As long as you keep your structure-building behind the Inn (draw a straight line south and don’t build beyond it), you can build your base safely without luring in enemy hordes.

TECH BUILDINGS Capturing tech buildings is an important part of gameplay whether in Multiplayer or Campaign mode. These buildings allow you to do special activities; for example, in this mission you can turn out hobbit units from the Inn. Other tech buildings allow you to speed up resource generation and many other feats. It’s very important to control these structures so that your foes don’t!

TIP At this point, you should have at least 10 power points, so recruit Tom Bombadil to the team—he comes in handy in many places.

With your base almost fully constructed and your Towers bristling with Archers, set up your melee units at the base of the Towers and send Glorfindel due east (7). This lures several hordes of goblins back to your waiting Towers. After several waves go down, send Gloin out to take out the Tower (7), then send him back to the base.

At this point you should have sufficient resources to upgrade your units’ armor, so research it in the forge.

Head north to take out the massive drum overlooking your base (9). It’s essential that you destroy this quickly by killing the Drummer Troll (8) or making a mad dash for the drum. There are hordes of goblins running about so this is tricky. Make sure you have upgraded Archers at your back when you embark on this feat and watch out for the fire! Your units burn up very quickly if they hit it.

ELEVATION COUNTS The greater the elevation, the greater the range your missilebased units have. Use this to your advantage to thin out the ranks of an approaching horde. This is especially devastating with upgraded Archers.

CAUTION If the Drummer Troll reaches the drum, he summons three Mountain Giants (10)—destroy these! They lay waste to your base if you don’t take them down quickly.

With the trouble dealt with, head back and take out the Tunnel to work toward completing one of the bonus objectives (12). Then back off from the fire line and climb the nearby ridge to destroy the Tower at its apex (13), which should clear another bonus objective.

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After taking out that Tower, get ready for a very large fight at the Tunnel just ahead (14). You’re stormed by a large number of foes, so hold your ground and let your supercharged Archers do most of the work while the remainder of your crew runs interference. The Archers should make very short work of your foes. Afterward, hold and regroup.

At the very southern edge of the area are a Wight Lair and some more goblins (18). Clean them out, then send your Archers east and have them begin shelling the enemy Fortress from afar. Mind the giants hurling rocks and keep your units moving to avoid having them crushed.

NOTE Remember that you have powers at your command, so don’t be afraid to use them to give yourself the advantage.

It’s time to free the Ent Moot. Send your troops northeast (15) and take out the lone Cave Troll guarding the Ent Moot. The Cave Troll folds in virtually no time, again under a shower of arrows. After that, the Ent Moot is available for building units. If you’re not already at your command point limit, add the Ent Moot to your repertoire. Proceeding south, take out the Spider Pit directly in your path, then keep pressing south to destroy two more Tunnels (16). At the second Tunnel on your southward trek, the enemy Fortress looms menacingly into view. Watch out for the bands of foes in the vicinity and cut them down mercilessly— make sure you also tag the Tunnel (17) before continuing south.

After you’ve picked off some of the errant foes, send Gloin to destroy the wall to the Fortress with his special attack, then pour in and destroy everything that falls across your righteous path. Nothing here is able to withstand your army, so concentrate on moving from enemy to enemy and structure to structure until only the Fortress itself is left (20). After you’ve taken out everything else, knock out the Fortress to carry the day. The Goblin King may strike you as an imposing figure but, as with other enemies that mess with knots of Silverthorn-toting Archers, he goes down in a hail of arrows in less then five seconds if you have three or four battalions at the ready—you can also swarm him with your mob of melee combatants to accelerate things.

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Mission 4: Blue Mountains Primary

Bonus • Eliminate the Spider Lairs that infest the Cave. • Build a Fortress in the Cave. • Demolish the Citadel door. • Build two Mine Shafts. • Eliminate all Fire Drake Lairs that infest this cavern.

• Slay the dragon.

Gloin

Glorfindel

4 6 3 5

Drogoth

Goblin Warrior Goblin Archer Cave Troll Fire Drake Spider Rider Spiderling Mountain Giant

13 14

11 17

16 15

Start Enemy Encounter Objective Treasure

Mission Overview The Dwarves must now step into the breach and help drive the taint of Sauron from the land. Despite being beleaguered by a dragon of immense size and destructive power, with the aid of Glorfindel and Gloin this proud race will see victory.

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GENERAL TIPS • Do not linger in areas that are open to the sky—doing so simply invites the wrath of the dragon. • Use Mine Shafts to ferry your troops to and fro. This allows you to avoid the dragon attacks and gets newer units where they’re going that much quicker. • Fire Drakes are deadly: have your heroes engage them and your missile-based fighters finish them off from afar. • Remember that Battle Towers can make even the most difficult situation much more tenable (just remember to always upgrade their firing capability).

Walkthrough

Once the Cave is clear, start building your primary base of operations:

1. Erect a Fortress. 2. Erect Mine Shafts where you can fit them in the Cave. 3. Construct a Forge and immediately start upgrading it to level 3 (with armor and forged weapon upgrades following). 4. Construct an Archery Range. 5. Build two Towers inside the mouth of the northern part of the Cave, and garrison each with one battalion of upgraded (with forged weapons) Axe Throwers. Stick a Heroic Statue next to them.

The first order of business (after nearly being crisped) is to establish a base in the Cave (5). To accomplish this, your forces must clean out the Spiderlings infesting the Cave (3), lair by lair. This is a straightforward process, so just keep your Archers to the rear and destroy the lairs one by one. Not long after that, a few units of Goblin Archers come from the northern part of the Cave. Chase them down and destroy them, but do not go outside if you hear the dragon (4). Also be sure to snag the treasure (2).

CAUTION This is crucial: If the dragon is wheeling through the skies overhead, stay inside the Cave until he leaves— his attacks will decimate your forces in no time.

Step-by-step, here’s how this next sequence is done:

1. Destroy the two nearest enemy structures after the dragon leaves the scene. 2. Return to the Cave and wait for the dragon to circle the area. 3. Race across the bridge with Glorfindel (on horseback) leading the charge. He has to take out Archers and, potentially, Spiderlings, while he waits for a second squad of Axe Throwers to follow and lay waste to the Spiderling Lair. 4. Do not destroy both of the Tunnels that are nearby—only wreck one. 5. Have another squad of Axe Throwers capture the Signal Fire. 6. Retreat back into the Cave. After that, the dragon circles again. Once he’s gone, summon Tom Bombadil to the other Tunnel and have him destroy it.

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After the final Tunnel is toast, the giant gates nearby open up, and Spider Riders come running out. With whatever time Tom has left, let him toss them around like rag dolls. The wall near the Signal Fire crumbles, issuing Spiderlings—all of these enemies converge on your Cave, but just hold your ground and let the Tower do most of the damage.

Once the dragon has cleared out again, have a Builder make a mad dash to meet up with your army, then have him construct a Mine Shaft, two Battle Towers, and a Heroic Statue (9). These can be used as a point to level your units.

CAUTION While this is going on, be wary of foes leaking out from the north (10) and the east, including Fire Drakes! These are very deadly, so take them out with missile attacks.

Now that the next area is open and devoid of the vile touch of the goblins, send a Demolisher in to destroy the Citadel doors (7). He takes it down quickly, then just waits inside. After the dragon makes another pass, gather up your forces (leave the Towers garrisoned, however) and make a run for the nowdestroyed Citadel doorway. Just inside you encounter two battalions of Archers (8), one coming from either side of the end of the first Tunnel, so be prepared.

Once your structures are up, proceed into the Cave to the north to engage Mountain Giants, Spider Riders, and Spiderlings in combat. Have Glorfindel use his Blade of Purity to make short work of the Mountain Giants (or, if you have it, use Wind Rider). As each wave of enemies falls, proceed deeper into the Cave to take out the remainder. Now it’s time to eliminate the first Fire Drake Lair. Depending on how much time you took, you may have already killed two of them. If not, however, they are still running around. The “trick” to coming out of this in one piece is to let the Fire Drakes acquire your heroes as targets while the Axe Throwers decimate them from afar. Take them on one at a time, then destroy the lair.

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Next, send one of your Demolishers farther down the Tunnel with Glorfindel and Gloin, and destroy the doorway at the end of the Tunnel (at the same time, make sure your Towers are garrisoned with two Axe Throwers each) (12). Once it’s down, enemies pour forth, so make a run back to your Towers, where the enemies are decimated (while your units rapidly level up).

TIP Enemies keep coming down this Tunnel, so any time you need to level some Axe Throwers, place them in the Towers and they destroy whatever tries to get by.

Gather your forces once more and take out the Spiderlings and Spider Lair to the southwest so they don’t sneak up behind you later while you’re otherwise engaged (13).

CAUTION There is the small possibility that a Mountain Giant may appear to the southeast after you lure out the Spider Riders. In that case, immediately stop and send the main bulk of your forces to destroy it. With that mess mopped up, plunge deeper into the Tunnels leading west. Have Glorfindel ride all the way east (16) to the next Fire Drake cavern, and pull at least one Fire Drake and a battalion of Spiderlings back to your Towers to take them out. After that, ride in and destroy the last Fire Drake Lair (17). Now you find your army at another gate. Have Gloin smash it down and then take your full army and charge up the middle of the next chamber to destroy the various goblin units waiting there (primarily Archers).

Plunging ahead, you spy some treasure (14) and a Fire Drake Lair just opposite it. Set up two more Towers to cover your tail in case things with the Fire Drakes go awry. Stick two of your Axe Thrower battalions inside each Tower, then have Glorfindel lure the Fire Drakes and the accompanying Spider Riders to their doom (15).

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You’re now at the gate to the dragon’s lair (18). This is pretty straightforward:

1. Following the shots, construct five Battle Towers just outside the gates, then garrison them each with two sets of Axe Throwers. 2. Build a Mine Shaft to ferry troops from your main base if you need more Axe Throwers. 3. Have Gloin shatter the main door to the dragon’s lair. 4. Have Glorfindel ride in and lure any enemies (including the dragon) out to the Towers, preferably toward the back right Tower. 5. Watch as the dragon gets caught between the Towers and is slashed to pieces. The only downside to this is you sacrifice some treasure—but it’s worth it!

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Mission 5: Grey Havens Primary • Clear all enemy forces out of Grey Havens. • Secure both shipwrights in Grey Havens. • Build four Elven Battleships. • Destroy the Corsair naval blockade. • Repel the beach assault (x3).

Bonus • Seize the Corsair shipyards.

Glorfindel

Gloin

NONE

Orc Warrior Corsairs of Umbar Orc Archer Haradrim Archer Troll Attack Troll Easterling

Start Enemy Encounter Objective

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Mission Overview The mystical land of Mithlond, also known as Grey Havens, is the land from which the Elves embark on their journey “beyond the sea.”

GENERAL TIPS • You should have the following powers in your repertoire by now: Heal, Rallying Call, Elven Wood, and Tom Bombadil. • When attacking enemy naval ships, make sure you upgrade your ships as they’re launched from the dock. • Battle Towers are extraordinarily powerful when upgraded and garrisoned—be sure to take the strategy for them in this mission very seriously.

Walkthrough

Now, for the nuts and bolts of the mission:

1. Construct two Builders. 2. Erect an Eregion Forge and start upgrading it to level 3 (for Silverthorn Arrows). 3. Begin planting Mallorn Trees everywhere you can fit them to generate large amounts of resources. 4. Construct two sets of Archers at the Barracks (2). 5. Once you’ve saturated the field with Mallorn Trees, set up three Battle Towers and pair them with three Heroic Statues (6). You’re now set for the vast bulk of the mission.

As the mission begins, you must do several different things seemingly at once to come through with most of your preexisting structures intact:

1. Head immediately east and have a squad of Archers bombard the first Mallorn Tree you pass (2)—this will keep enemies away from it. 2. Send the bulk of your force to save the Barracks under siege (3). 3. Break off a battalion of sentries to save your Fortress (4). 4. After everything else is saved, send the remainder of your forces to take out the last mob of foes (5). Once that objective has been satisfied, get to work designing defenses that can get you through this mission unscathed.

Send a pair of units down to the docks (7) to capture the shipwrights. Once you’ve seized them, construct four Battleships—be sure to upgrade their armor and self-healing ability before attempting to destroy the naval blockade. Once you have four Battleships constructed and upgraded, it’s time to take the war to the sea. Sail out the mouth of the harbor (8) and focus each of your ships on one enemy ship at a time to maximize the destructive force applied. Keep pushing south, destroying ships as they come.

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TIP If your ships get hammered but survive a confrontation, retreat and let them heal—it’s better than having to build all-new ships.

Next up, construct a Storm Ship. Outfit it with upgraded gear, then sail it into the heart of a group of enemy ships. Keep in mind that it must hit another ship to realize its destructive potential.

Now you’ve pretty much conquered the map. Your Dwarven compatriots arrive in the northwest, and you have to repel three massive waves of Mordor’s finest from the beaches to the west. However, the Battle Towers you constructed early on ensure that all three waves end up as little more than fertilizer. Stash the freshly arrived Dwarven units around the towers and the battle is yours—virtually by remote control.

Once you’ve broken the back of the naval blockade, build a ship to ferry two units across the sea (9) to capture the two shipwrights ensconced there. Then send your units to the northeast (10) to farm the enemy Tavern (this has the net effect of padding your power points).

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Mission 6: Celduin Primary • Rendezvous with army at the docks. • Repel Mûmakil assault. • Rout Mordor base.

Bonus • Capture all tech buildings.

King Dain

5 18

Nazgûl

17 14

11 13

Orc Warrior Corsairs of Umbar Orc Archer Haradrim Archer Attack Troll Mûmakil Nazgûl

Start Enemy Encounter Objective Treasure Allies

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Mission Overview It is now time for the Dwarves to take center stage. Led by the mighty King Dain, you have to reunite your comrades at the outset of this mission, then set forth to cleanse the taint of Mordor from the land by leveling your enemies’ foothold to the west.

GENERAL TIPS • This mission is different from previous ones in that you have to garrison your troops at one end of the map and lure your enemies to their doom. This can be a useful strategy in Multiplayer games as well.

With those mobs dispatched, head southeast (6) and take out the enemies lying in wait. You encounter even more Archers that you can add to your forces. Be sure to snag the treasure as well (7).

• You should have the following powers at the outset: Elven Gifts, Heal, Enshrouding Mist, Tom Bombadil, Elven Wood, and Rallying Call. You should also be able to grab Cloud Break during this mission.

Walkthrough King Dain and his retinue of soldiers have been abruptly cut off from the main part of the city (1). Proceed immediately northwest to engage some foes in combat (2)—summon Tom Bombadil behind the Archers to cut off their escape. As you proceed north, you are joined by some Archers and another squad of Dwarves, both with enemies in hot pursuit (3). Take control of the Archers and move them behind Dain’s force to keep them from being hacked to pieces, then smash the forces of Mordor. Continue, slowly, to the east (4)—do not head down the spur to the northeast because a bombardment ship waits to destroy your army from afar. Instead, let your foes come to you. Once they’re dead, claim the treasure (5).

This next sequence is a meat grinder. You must rescue a group of Phalanxes from a crush of enemies on all sides as you descend from the north (8); at the same time, directly to the west of your embattled compatriots is a Catapult that must be decommissioned quickly. Once the besieged Dwarves appear on screen:

1. Switch them to a defensive formation—this extends their pikes outward and keep their foes at bay. 2. Your Archers must take aim at the Catapult to the west while the bulk of Dain’s force fights its way toward the Catapult. 3. Once the Catapult is destroyed, race in and save the remainder of your allies. This battle is bloody, and the toll in lives can be extreme. If you have Tom Bombadil recharged, use him (or, if you have them, Men of Dale) during the battle. Also consider employing Enshrouding Mist to weaken your foes’ constitution. Now head south to capture both the treasure (9) and the inn (10), then go south around the bend to tangle with another contingent of Mordorbred foes (11).

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5. Once you have the Signal Fire, move the vast bulk of your forces to the southern tier of the map, destroying everything in your path, and follow the road to the final set of Catapults (19). Next up, take a walk on the beach leading east to meet up with some more Dwarves (12), then seize the next tech building (13). After that, it’s on to reclaim the city for your own.

This basic strategy saves you a lot of pain and heartache, and though it may take a while to fully execute, it keeps your ranks from being annihilated out in the open field.

TIP Use the fountain to heal your troops after every battle.

This battle is very simple (14). Storm in with your army and crush the Orcs in a vise maneuver— sandwiching them between you and the army that’s already there. Once they’re crushed, gather your troops in the main part of the square and send units out to capture the outlying structures (15).

All that now remains is taking down the enemy Fortress in the southwest corner (20). Approach this very carefully from the east (19). Use single battalions to draw out enemies and destroy them without getting into range of the Fortress’s weaponry. Once you’ve destroyed most of the structures, either from a distance or with Tom Bombadil, rush in and crush the Fortress. Bring everything in your arsenal, including Enshrouding Mist and Elven Wood, and make sure Dain does not fall! You needn’t eliminate all foes to win, so don’t waste time fighting enemies when you could be chipping away at the Fortress.

This next series of battles is fairly protracted and requires a great deal of time and patience. Here’s the basic idea:

1. First, repel several waves of Mûmakil and their cohorts. They come to you, so hang back at the city and cut each down in turn. 2. Once you stem the Mûmakil assaults (three in all), send out small raiding parties to destroy the Catapults to the northwest and southwest of your city. Grab the treasure (17) while you’re at it. 3. After those Catapults are destroyed, send single battalions to the far ends of the map (denoted by the arrows) to lure enemies back to your base. Summon Elven Wood at the entrance to your base to set up a killing field (16). 4. Keep repeating this process until you can cut a hole through to the far northwestern corner (18), where you can seize the Signal Fire.

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Good Campaign

Mission 7: Erebor Primary • Defeat the first wave of Mordor attackers. • Defeat the second wave of Mordor attackers. • Defeat the third wave of Mordor attackers. • The Throne of Erebor must not fall. • Destroy the Goblin encampment.

Bonus • Build a Fortress in Dale. • Build walls in Dale. • Defeat the Mouth of Sauron and his retinue.

King Dain

Gloin

Glorfindel

3 Thranduil

Witch-king

4 Mouth of Sauron Nazgûl

1 5

Haradrim Archer Troll Drummer Troll Attack Troll Easterling Ram Mûmakil Orc Warrior Orc Archer

Mission Overview This is the grandest defensive battle you face. The Dwarves must fend off a mighty army from Mordor, composed of three waves of their most vicious soldiers. You have to fortify the paths leading to the Throne of Erebor to avoid the kingdom falling into the hands of Sauron.

Start Enemy Encounter Objective Allies

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GENERAL TIPS • This is an almost purely defensive strategy. Trying to take out Mordor’s forces in an offensive strike is a dangerous proposition and should be reserved for the most skilled players. • You need to build, and build fast, in this mission. You are given a lot of resources to start with, so don’t be afraid to spend, spend, spend—it’s a matter of life and death.

After those Fortresses are built, use your Builders to construct walls barring entrance into the area behind each Fortress.

• You should have the following powers newly added to your repertoire: Barrage and Earthquake. If you do not, add them as soon as possible. Outfit the Fortress and walls with upgraded weaponry, such as Axe Throwers and Catapults upgraded with fire attacks.

Walkthrough

NOTE Because of the way this mission plays and the variables involved, we provide more generalized instructions for how to handle the Mordor onslaught. The next few strategic moves, although complicated, must be completed quickly in order to outfit your defenses before the minions of Mordor arrive to attack. Send out King Dain and his coterie to wipe out the small initial raiding bands in the Dale (1)—leave some Axe Throwers in the various Towers you pass for backup.

Construct a final wall in the eastern Tunnel, blocking it off (4). Building multiple walls, layered over one another, slows advancing enemies.

Next, capture the Signal Fire (5). Then build Battle Towers behind each set of walls to add support to the main Fortresses—garrison them with upgraded Axe Throwers. Your initial setup is now complete—just in time for the first of three massive waves of Mordor thugs.

Use your Builders to construct a Fortress at both the main entrance to Erebor (2) and the entrance on the western side (3).

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Good Campaign

As the third wave rolls around, you face down the largest force Mordor can muster for this mission. During this assault, the Mouth of Sauron and his retinue attempt to gain access to your base and destroy the throne. Keep a wary eye on the map for their arrival and deal with them harshly and quickly. About midway through the third wave, Thranduil arrives with Glorfindel and Gloin, as well as several additional units. How you use them depends on the current situation, but you may want them inside to help plug any holes in your defenses.

From this point forward, your goal is to wait for the enemies to come to you. Even so, using the various powers at your disposal, such as Earthquake, Barrage, and Tom Bombadil, to slow them down is a great idea. However, use at least a small squad of units to try to lure foes to the central and western entrances, since that’s where your heaviest defenses reside. Keep Dain and a large group of units in the center of the base, where they started the mission, so that they can fortify the firewalls if one should break. After each wave, you have a little time to repair any shattered walls or structures, so make the most of it.

Once the third wave is snuffed out, head out to the Goblin encampment to the south and destroy it. If you’ve made it this far, it’s only a matter of time before you win this battle, but feel free to use your powers once more to weaken, and even destroy, the Fortress remotely.

TIP Foes tend to get held up on walls, ignoring other threats while tearing them down. Exploit this tendency and concentrate on destroying those foes last.

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Mission 8: Dol Guldur Primary • Locate and capture the northern Signal Fire. • Locate and capture the southern Signal Fire. • Breach the Fortress of Dol Guldur. • Destroy all free-standing Mordor structures within Dol Guldur. • Repel the Mordor counterattack.

Bonus • Seize all Signal Fires. • Destroy all Spider Lairs.

Elrond

Arwen

16 10

Gloin

Glorfindel

17 9

Balrog

14 8

Haradrim Archer Troll Drummer Troll Attack Troll Easterling Spiderling Watcher

Start Enemy Encounter Objective

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Good Campaign

Mission Overview The final reckoning arrives! The good folk of the northern lands now drive their combined might through the black heart of Sauron’s seat of power in the far north: Dol Guldur. This is an epic battle, with a staggering number of units involved, and is one of the most impressive sequences in the game.

GENERAL TIPS • Be sure to build Battle Towers—without them, this map is much more difficult to beat.

TIP Max out your command point limit as quickly as possible because you won’t be able to build many units after your allies arrive.

• A Fortress is not necessary on this map, but it may make you feel more secure if you build one. • Don’t forget to use your powers! This map is begging for a heavy dose of Barrage, Earthquake, and Cloud Break. And thanks to the number of Signal Fires, you should be able to fire them off regularly. • Never forget that dropping Tom Bombadil or the Men of Dale into a group of enemies to lure them away from your units or structures is a great strategy—it’s also great for stirring up the hornet’s nest.

Walkthrough

NOTE This mission contains both very specific strategy elements and more general ones for the latter half of the battle—once you are engaged in the battle for Dol Guldur itself, the strategy is more general. As the mission begins, your forces arrive in the southwestern corner of the map. You should immediately:

1. Construct five Battle Towers. 2. Erect a Barracks, an Eregion Forge, and a Mirror of Galadriel. 3. Begin producing enough Archers to fully supply all five Towers with 10 battalions. 4. Upgrade the Forge to obtain Silverthorn Arrows, then be sure to upgrade your new Archers. This creates a defensive pocket that virtually nothing can penetrate. In fact, this little barricade single-handedly destroys the late-arriving Mordor army.

Next, embark for the southern Signal Fire (6), but take out the Spiderling Lairs (2–5) along the way. After arriving at the enemy encampment around the Signal Fire, destroy it, beginning with the Catapults, then capture the flame.

CAUTION You’re likely to run into skirmishes as you head to the Signal Fire, so be on your toes and have your horsemen lead the way.

Now make your way back toward the defensive pocket you constructed at the beginning of the mission (1) and recruit and heal any damaged units. From there, embark on a run for the northern Signal Fire (11) and repeat the process on the Spiderling Lairs (7–10). By the time you reach the northern Signal Fire, you should be joined by the forces of Mirkwood.

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Return once more to the defensive pocket with your new friends in tow. Your goal now is to send Arwen or Glorfindel, on horseback, into the belly of the beast to capture the other two Signal Fires (12–13), which vastly speeds up the recharge rate on your powers. Just keep moving forward—they take little damage, except from the Catapults. If need be, use Heal to keep them going, then return to the pocket.

From this point, wipe out the areas to the east and west of your position (15–16). You can ignore the outlying Towers (near 15), but make sure you take out all the troop-generating structures. Stop short of climbing the ramp north of the western edge (16). If you get into trouble, pull your forces back to the Elven Wood (14). Use your Archers to take out Catapults first, then focus on the units, and finally the structures. Also be wary of a Wyrm that shows up near the western side of the Citadel.

TIP At this point, the Dwarves of Erebor have joined your burgeoning army, and it’s time to plan the main assault on Dol Guldur. Gather the bulk of your forces (leave the garrisoned Archers, Catapults, and Ents where they are), then lead your troops across the main pathway and into the Citadel itself. Let only one hero enter first; the doors slam shut, trapping your hero. As your hero is being shelled, come in with your entire army, destroy the Catapults that are in range, and tear down the doors. Once you’re in the main courtyard, lay down Elven Wood in the entryway (14). This serves as a launching point for razing the Citadel.

Remember: You have powers to use! Use Earthquake and Barrage to level structures whenever possible.

CAUTION Bear in mind that the key threats to your victory are the Catapults and Sentry Towers scattered seemingly everywhere—these must be destroyed as you go. Otherwise, they make life very difficult. They are most effectively destroyed by Archers with Silverthorn Arrows.

Once your locust-like attack renders the main areas to the east and west lifeless, focus on destroying the central courtyard (17) and Fortress. Do not proceed beyond the gate that leads north out of this area—the Balrog lurks there! If he catches your scent, the best strategy is to lead him all the way back to your pocket and let the Towers annihilate him while your heroes run interference. Also, remember to grab the final Signal Fire.

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Good Campaign

NOTE You have to deal with the Balrog at some point, so the preceding strategy applies whenever you decide to catch hold of him. Hordes of Archers can also make short work of him, but this is a much more risky strategy.

As all of this is going on, the Mordor army arrives. Time to panic? Not at all—as long as you built the defensive pocket at the beginning of the mission, and the Ents and Catapults are intact behind them, you are equipped to handle the Mordor army. The army marches in and attempts to destroy your camp, but it is annihilated by the combined assault of the Catapults, Ents, and Battle Towers.

At this point, most of Dol Guldur should be in ruins; smash the prison at the rear, as well as the remaining enemy units and structures.

NOTE Catapults do not count toward satisfying the goal requirement, so don’t bother destroying them all if you don’t have to.

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EVIL CAMPAIGN Mission 1: Lorien Primary Build a Goblin Cave. Build two Goblin Hordes from the Cave. Build a Tunnel. Build a Fissure. Upgrade the Fissure to build trolls. Build a Cave Troll from the upgraded Fissure. Cross the river and destroy the two Elven treehouses. • Destroy the stronghold of Lothlorien, Caras Galadhon. • • • • • • •

Bonus • Build up your Fortress defenses with two upgrades. • Free all three Mountain Giants. • Revive a hero at the Fortress.

Mouth of Sauron

Nazgûl

9 7

Galadriel

Haldir

Celeborn

5 3

Lorien Warrior Lorien Archer

Start Enemy Encounter Objective

Mission Overview 88

For too long, goblin-kind has lived in the shadow of its Orc kin—now is the time for them to take their rightful spot at the right hand of mighty Sauron. But first they must prove their worth by raiding and destroying the pristine Elven glade of Lorien, driving out Lady Galadriel and slaying her mate. Along the way, you must master several key goblin specialties…

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Evil Campaign

GENERAL TIPS • This mission serves to get your feet wet (preferably with the blood of your enemies) with the evil factions, beginning with the goblins.

Snag the bonus objective by building two Fortress defenses on the build plots. Go with two Spider Hole Expansions to achieve the bonus objective, then it’s on to tussle with the Elves.

• Pick up Tainted Land as your first ability. It’s an excellent buff/de-buff that allows you to run roughshod over your enemies. • When using Mountain Giants, be aware that their missile attack will strike friendly units. In close-range combat, switch to melee so you don’t destroy your own army. • The Mouth of Sauron and the trio of Nazgûl aren’t very powerful hero-type units, so don’t rely as heavily on them as you might have with the good heroes. Their main strength is that they’re better-than-average Cavalry units, so they’re good for running down Archery units early on. • Goblins have Tunnels for moving rapidly about the map (much like Dwarves have Mine Shafts), so utilize these in a supply line fashion to ferry troops from their lairs to the far-flung points of the map.

Walkthrough First, construct a Goblin Cave (C) and create two units from it, preferably Archers (1). Then construct a Tunnel (T), which makes it much easier to move your troops to and fro.

Now sequester one of your squads in the Tunnel, but remember to remove them after you complete this goal. After that, construct a Fissure (R) and upgrade it so that it can issue trolls.

NOTE You’ve started with five power points, so select the Powers icon and take Tainted Land (in a Multiplayer game, you might start with Cave Bats, however, to reveal the map).

Given enough time, a squad of Elves approach from the south (or you meet them on your way down). Dispatch them, then take up a position at the edge of the river, but do not cross yet. Just east of the river, erect a Fissure, a Tunnel, and a Goblin Cave (2).

After you’ve summoned a sizable force (3–4 trolls and a complement of Archers and Warriors), head across the river and tear the Elves to pieces, reveling in their screams. After the water runs red with their blood, continue on and attack the hero, Haldir. He runs before you can finish the job, however, so don’t give chase. Instead, destroy the treehouses nearby.

TUNNELING FOR FUN AND PROFIT You can easily shuffle large numbers of troops across the map from a safely located Cave or Fissure. A good strategy is to place Tunnels every time you complete a major battle so you can quickly replenish lost units without having them trudge across the entire map to get to your main force.

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The next order of Elfundoing business is freeing your Mountain Giant allies, who have been pinioned to the ground (4). Race forward, charging through the Elven ranks, to free one of them. Alternatively, you could kill the Elves first, but why rob the Mountain Giant of the opportunity to torment his captors?

Continuing west (5), you encounter two more treehouses. Raze them, but be ready for another band of Elves swooping in from the northwest. Destroy them. Haldir is with them once more, but again he escapes before you can defeat him.

Now, set your Mountain Giants back to missile attacks and have them very gradually step forward, taking out buildings and units as the fog of war is pulled back. Once you get close to the spot in the second screen (above), send your entire squad in, weapons brandished, and focus on first taking down Celeborn, then Galadriel. Use the Mountain Giants to keep the normal units at bay by stomping on them (helped by the trolls), while the Nazg没l and your regular units send them to the afterlife with Haldir. Once Galadriel gives up the field, head in and summarily dismantle the Elven encampment. To complete the mission you need to destroy the lovely Elven Fortress in the northwestern corner, but you may as well burn it all!

Continuing southwest (6), ride as fast as possible into the next Mountain Giant lashed to the ground. After that, lay waste to the nearby Elves and the various structures. Once everything is dead and buried, head north. As you move forward (8), you encounter Haldir and his forces again. This is a fairly pitched battle, so set your big units to melee and move them in, while the Nazg没l and company run down their foes on horseback. Keep pressing forward to the north to reach the final Mountain Giant (9). Use the same method to free him, then regroup (8).

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Evil Campaign

Mission 2: Grey Havens Bonus

Primary • Capture the shipwright. • Construct three Corsair Black Ships. • Sink the Elven convoys fleeing Grey Havens. • Destroy the Elven Battle Towers defending the beach. • Defeat the Elves defending the beach. • Destroy the three Fortresses.

• Capture the Outpost.

Gorkil Goblin King

NONE

5 11 4

Lorien Archer Lorien Warrior Elven Cavalry

13 12

Start Enemy Encounter Objective

2 4

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NOTE Mission Overview So the Elves would desert their precious land like cowards and flee to some mystical place to the west? Not if the Goblin King and his coterie have anything to say about it. You must storm the beaches of Grey Havens, leaving little but blood and smoke in your wake.

Build at least one bombardment ship to destroy the Ents dotting the shore.

GENERAL TIPS • The most difficult part of this mission is landing your troops and getting them to your Fortress relatively intact—keep an eye on exactly when your troops hit the ground so you’re not caught unaware. • You won’t have much in the way of powers to call on, but be sure to use Tainted Land and Cave Bats if necessary to give yourself an edge in any brutal battles. The initial storming of the beach might be a good place to employ this tactic.

Walkthrough As the mission begins, you’re stranded to the south of your ultimate target (1). Construct three Corsair Black Ships to sink the fleeing Elves (2), sending them to meet their fate at the bottom of the sea. Plant your ships in the middle of the ocean to destroy all three waves of Elves—let none survive.

Next, you must destroy the Towers defending the beach—you can do this by constructing a bombardment vessel or by using your Corsair Black Ships to do the job (3). Once the beach is clear, your troops arrive from the south in full force—take control of them and storm the beach, cutting down the Elves and their allies as you go.

As you pour onto the beach, slay the Elven interlopers and drive them back toward Mithlond (4). Your job isn’t done until every last unit on the beach is put to the sword, which, given the size of your landing forces, should be a short time in coming—just make sure your ships are taking care of the Ents.

NOTE Be sure to seize the Outpost (4).

After taking the beach and your Fortress has been erected, immediately do the following:

1. Construct more Tunnels to support resource generation. 2. Upgrade the Treasure Trove to level 3, then research all the upgrades. 3. Once you’ve researched all of the upgrades, apply them to your troops. Now you’re ready to storm the city proper.

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Evil Campaign

To deal with Elven troops (6–8) trying to interdict your arrival in the city, have several battalions of Half-Troll Marauders lead the charge to head off any Elven Cavalry units, then keep driving your blade deeper into their putrid, peace-loving hearts.

Once you’ve attained the city itself, raze the first two Fortresses occupying the upper tiers of Grey Havens. Naturally there is resistance, but if you plowed through the previous forces, it should be minimal. If necessary, construct more units and keep sending them in waves—the Elves won’t menace your base, so take your time.

This leaves the final Fortress, near the docks (11), to raze. Send a bombardment ship in to destroy the Fortress from afar. Be wary of the various ships and Archers along the route (12-13). Once they're at the bottom of the bay, park your ship offshore and shell the city until it's naught but dust.

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Mission 3: The Shire Bonus • Destroy the Green Dragon Inn. • Destroy Bag End.

Primary • Reach the Eastfarthing. • Destroy all four seats of power. • Build a Fortress. • Defeat all Dunedain. • Kill Wormtongue. • Destroy the Isengard Fortress.

Gorkil Goblin King

3 Wormtongue

Dunedain Ranger Hobbit Uruk Crossbow Warg Rider Uruk-hai

Start Enemy Encounter Objective

Treasure Allies

12 19

8 9

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Evil Campaign

Mission Overview Ah, yes, those pitiful hobbits. Their kind have interfered in the master’s plans for the last time, and now it is time to scour their home, the bucolic Shire, burning and pillaging all of it so that this blight of a race never again walks the lands of Middle-earth in anything other than blind fear at their imminent extinction.

GENERAL TIPS • If you don’t have them already, add the powers Tainted Land, War Chant, and Darkness to your quiver (you may still need to earn enough points for the latter, but add it once you do). • The major part of this mission is very simple outside of one semi-sizable battle against some Rangers. Other than that, you should roll over the vast majority of the mission until you reach the final battle, so use the earlier part of the map to level up your units as quickly as possible.

Not much farther south, you come upon the first hobbit settlement and the first seat of power (4). Lay waste to the meager hobbit bands (they are little threat, so plow in and destroy them). You also meet up with another band of your ilk coming from the east to bolster your already formidable force (5).

• Build lots of resource-generating structures around your base when you first erect it so that you have ample coin on hand to construct several Mountain Giants for the final battle—it’ll make life much easier.

Walkthrough As the mission begins (1), your goblin band is itching to lay waste to those irritating hobbits. But first, slink to the west and bag the treasure to feed your coffers (2). With that filthy lucre greasing your even greasier palms, drive your band of bloodthirsty fiends south to destroy the first of many hobbit bands (3).

With the first seat of power demolished, continue south, fording the pristine river, into the Eastfarthing (6). Construct and equip your own seat of power here, from which you can launch the utter destruction of the verdant Shire. Another band of allies rides in from the east to bolster your forces, and two Builders are added to your force so that you may construct your Fortress and other structures (7)—they are further supplemented by two Mountain Giants after the Fortress is complete.

NOTE If you haven’t already, acquire the Darkness power—it comes in very handy now and in the future.

After the Fortress is up and running, build these additional structures:

• At least three Tunnels to keep resource generation apace. • A Fissure from which to create Half-Troll Marauders and, later, Mountain Giants (after upgrading to level 3). • Three Sentry Towers to guard your western flank from interlopers that may find their way to your den. • A Treasure Trove to gradually upgrade with all available options as resources become available. With that completed, leave a band of Half-Troll Marauders and a battalion of Archers behind to mind the camp (set them to aggressive stance), then take the remainder of your force and head southeast and across another ford in the river.

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CAUTION As your primary force pillages its way about the Shire, periodically check on your base to make sure that the forces you left behind are keeping adequate guard over your territory. Remember to replenish depleted ranks as you go or you could be in a world of hurt later.

STANCES Choosing the correct stance for the situation can mean the difference between life and death. The key here is to choose one of the three stances (battle, defensive, aggressive) that fits a given situation. Most of the time, a battle stance is just fine, which leaves your defensive and offensive number in a neutral state. However, selecting defensive stance provides a boost to your armor and keeps your units from wandering off—instead, they let enemies come to them, then attack. Aggressive stance provides a boost to your damage but diminishes your armor. Also, units won’t simply stand around waiting for a foe to attack. Instead, they go after anything that comes within range of them. They are much more proactive in tearing foes limb from limb, rather than standing around and waiting for them to get into range. The biggest benefit of these stances is that it gives you freedom to concentrate on other tasks while your units operate on auto-pilot. Just across the river you encounter a small band of Rangers (8), which are easily crushed by your vastly superior forces. After reveling in your victory, continue west to fight a larger contingent (9)—use your Mountain Giants to crush their Catapult to the west, lest it wreak havoc on your weaker units.

Proceeding across the river once more, seize Longbottom Farm (10) and then continue north, across the waiting bridge, to confront another group of Dunedain. Just beyond the bridge lies the Green Dragon Inn (11). Help the inn pass forever into legend by razing it to the ground!

After taking down the inn, head back to the base just to the east because a large contingent of Dunedain soon show up—a very sizable contingent with two Catapults. Be ready for them and you can take the initiative. Have the Mountain Giants destroy the Catapults from afar. After the battle, rebuild any destroyed structures that you might still need. After that attack has been repulsed, venture once more across the bridge and make a beeline for the next seat of power (12). You meet meager resistance from some hobbits; destroy the structure in short order. That nasty bit of business done, regroup and head south, then east to capture the Signal Fire (13). This reduces recharge rates on your various abilities so that you can wield them more quickly. After that, trek north. You’ll likely attract the attention of another small (is there any other kind?) band of hobbits (14). Another seat of power lies not too far from that small band, so head north, ford the river, and destroy the seat of power (15). While you’re there, take out the various bands of hobbits scattered about the area, along with Bag End (the home of those hobbits that have caused so much trouble for goblin-kind), which is just a stone’s throw to the north.

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Evil Campaign

One seat of power remains to the north (16). You should meet little resistance and it falls in short order. While you’re there, capture Farmer Maggot’s farm to increase your resource production (17). Finally, there is one last battalion of Dunedain hiding not far away. Approach them from the north or west and have the Mountain Giants shell them with death from above, then return to your base for some unpleasant tidings from a worm of a man.

The final battle is set: goblins versus the forces of Isengard, lead by Grima Wormtongue. First off, you have to repel three waves of attackers made up of Warg Riders, Uruk Crossbowmen, and a final wave of Warg Riders and Uruk-Hai. Your army should be sufficiently leveled and equipped, so make your stand at the bridge leading west from your base and crush each succeeding wave—Mountain Giants are a big help here. After those three waves are finished, construct five Mountain Giants, then slowly and methodically push back the shroud leading toward the Fortress (19). The Mountain Giants destroy all that they see as the land is revealed, including some leftover units and Grima himself. Concentrate on the Ballistae first, and once you’ve destroyed all enemy units, the Fortress is utterly defenseless and the Mountain Giants take it down in no time.

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Mission 4: Fornost Primary • Destroy all structures in the outer city. • Destroy the castle’s Citadel. • Destroy the Earth Hammer.

Bonus • Use Untamed Allegiance on both Spider Lairs. • Capture the Inn.

Gorkil Goblin King

7 Gloin

Dunedain Ranger Guardian Catapult

Start Enemy Encounter

Objective

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Evil Campaign

Mission Overview This battle is a pitched siege against the forces of man and Dwarf, who are squirreled away in perceived safety inside the walled city of Fornost. However, the fools failed to take into account the wiliness of the Goblin King and his ilk. Laying siege to this mighty city is no easy task, but perseverance and good old-fashioned blood and steel will see to it that the goblins carry the day (with a little help from their very large friends).

GENERAL TIPS • The use of Mountain Giants is essential to victory on this mission, so get a Fissure going and produce Mountain Giants as early as possible, then keep producing them nonstop. • You can power level your units by parking them at the eastern wall and waiting for Dwarven and Dunedain units to come through the gap in the wall—use this to your advantage. • Keep the Goblin King nearby for his leadership bonuses. • You should have the following powers in your repertoire by the middle of this mission: Tainted Land, War Chant, Darkness, Untamed Allegiance, and Eye of Sauron (this one is key).

Walkthrough

After you’ve created three or four Mountain Giants, covered the area in Tunnels, and taken the nearby Spider Lair, it’s time to engage the enemy. Position your forces outside the eastern wall (3) and wait for the Dunedain to come through. Kill them as they come and allow your units to level up to 5.

TIP Use the Goblin King’s Totem ability to enhance the damage that your units do near the area where the Dunedain pour from.

As the mission begins, blanket the immediate area with Tunnels to get resource production moving and get your command point limit up. This is necessary because of the number of Mountain Giants you need to move around later. Also create a Fissure and upgrade it so that you can start producing Mountain Giants as soon as possible.

NOTE If you haven’t acquired it already, go to the Powers menu and select Untamed Allegiance. Then seize the Spider Lairs (2) to the east and west to add to your units.

After all your units are leveled, have the Mountain Giants tear down a chunk of the eastern wall (fairly far to the east to avoid the Catapults to the west), then head toward the Dunedain structures dead ahead. You encounter heavy resistance, not only from the Dunedain but from the patrolling squads of Dwarves. Also, be wary of the Catapults to the north (4). Send the Mountain Giants in to neutralize both of those as soon as possible.

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NOTE After this initial set of skirmishes, you may have lost many units—this is not a bad thing because it frees up command points for more Mountain Giants, which you should continuously have queued up for creation.

QUEUING UP UNITS One thing you simply need to do when engaged in either Campaign or Multiplayer mode is to queue up units. This simply refers to the act of constantly having units under production (provided you have adequate resources) to replace any that fall. This ensures a steady supply of manpower so that you aren’t caught with your chainmail down at an innoportune time. This does require some thought in Multiplayer games, however, as you don’t want to burden yourself with too many of an unnecessary unit type. To that end, simply mirror your queue force with your real force so that you’re at least in the general vicinity of appropriate unit reproduction (there’s nothing worse than wasting resources—especially when they’re tight—on units that end up doing little more than devouring command points).

After you’ve secured the central courtyard, continue west. Before heading up the ramp to the south, however, halt your Mountain Giants at the area depicted in the first screen (above) to block the lone Catapult to the northwest from striking them. You can also lay waste to most of your enemies from this relatively safe position. After all the units are dead, march in and take out the remaining Catapult in the northwestern corner. Then send in a normal unit to capture the nearby inn.

TIP If enemies get too close to the Mountain Giants, switch to their melee attack to cause some real damage.

After the southeastern quadrant of the area is secure, rebuild any missing Mountain Giants and send the remainder of your original force back to the Fortress. From here, things are straightforward: Slowly but steadily move your squad of Mountain Giants west (5), destroying things as the shroud is pushed back. Nothing can do much damage to them at this point, but be careful you are not heavily swarmed by foes. The biggest threats are the Catapults on the wall to the north and northwest. These need to be destroyed quickly; they can wreak havoc if left to their own devices.

NOTE Remember to take out all the structures you come across.

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Evil Campaign

After you clear the front three areas, a weapon known as the Earth Hammer begins to power up. It’s your next stop, in the far, northeastern corner of the map, and you have five minutes to reach it before it sets off a nasty earthquake (to be safe, send one Builder each to the far southeast and southwest corners of the map). You encounter fierce resistance on your way to the Earth Hammer. Take the route back toward the eastern wing (4) and do your best to bash your way through. Remember to use your powers, such as Tainted Land and Eye of Sauron, to gain the upper hand— especially if you get jammed in the gates. If you don’t get the upper hand, ignore all enemies and attack the Earth Hammer with single-minded fury (use the Eye of Sauron). If you perish, fall back to your base because the enemy units come rushing for the Earth Hammer next. If the enemies are unable to get it, press onward and destroy the Earth Hammer.

NOTE

After the Earth Hammer falls, concentrate on slaying the troops and structures in the immediate vicinity. At this point, the game enters a tug-of-war phase, as your queued Mountain Giants continuously arrive to replenish those that have fallen. The quick way to end this map, however, is to rush the Citadel (8). Once there (in melee mode), hit the Mountain Giants with the Eye of Sauron—if you can get three Mountain Giants to the Citadel with a quarter of their health, they demolish it in seconds.

TIP Launch your attacks from the walls to nail outlying structures and units before proceeding in to destroy the Citadel.

If you have to retreat, send your queued units and earlier battalions off to the corners of the map to protect them from the Earth Hammer, which centers on your Fortress.

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Mission 5: Mirkwood Primary • Advance to the Old Forest Road in the north. • Find another way across the river. • Build up and defend Sentry Towers in the designated spots before the Elves do.

Bonus • Find and destroy the Ent base. • Bring Shelob to tame the Spiderlings. • Find and destroy the other Ent base. • Find and destroy the Elven bases.

Nazgûl

Mouth of Sauron

Shelob

NONE

Ent Rivendell Lancer Lorien Archers Lorien Warrior Mirkwood Archer

Start Enemy Encounter Objective

3 2

4 5

S 102

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Evil Campaign

Mission Overview Mirkwood is the next realm in the land that needs to have the taint of Elves stricken from it. This time out, however, the goblins step aside for the forces of Mordor, necessitating a strategic change due to differences in units and structures. This means you have to learn a new vocabulary of war as you drive the gilded Elves from their base to the far north. Along the way, the infernal Ents menace your forces, but that’s nothing a little fire won’t fix…

GENERAL TIPS • Ents don’t like fire—keep this in mind. • Your heroes’ ability to act as Cavalry is very important later in this mission. • Add the power Arrow Volley to your list of devastating weapons later in this mission. • Build as many resource structures as possible; the latter part of this mission can bog down in a war of attrition.

Walkthrough As you establish yourself in the south (1), get your base up and running for the carnage ahead:

With your forces assembled, head north to the bridge (3); it is summarily destroyed by a group of meddling Ents. Once that route is cut off, head southeast and you run into a few units of Cavalry (4). Put your swordsman in the lead and take them down swiftly. Continuing on, you come to an encampment of Elves (5). Be wary because several units are stealthed, but when you start your clash with them, summon up some Tainted Land to steer the battle decidedly in Mordor’s direction. This makes short work of the Elves.

1. Build additional resourcegenerating structures: three Slaughterhouses and three Lumber Mills. 2. Build a Tavern for unit upgrades and purchase Fire Arrows as soon as possible. 3. Build a Troll Cage and an upgrade for the Drummer Troll. Once your structures are established, build four Mountain Trolls, four Archers, and one Drummer Troll (be sure to upgrade the Archers with Fire Arrows).

NOTE

Next, send only Shelob up the river as fast as her legs can carry her to meet with her kind (4), then add them to your forces. After that, stagger the remainder of your forces and send one unit every few seconds up to Shelob. This prevents them from being utterly destroyed by the Ents lining the shore.

Use Untamed Allegiance to seize the Spider Lair just to the north (2).

Rush in and destroy the Ents. Placing your heroes out front, race in and take out the first (of six) Ents. Once the first two Ents have your heroes in their sights, send in your Archers to burn them down. Keep doing this and pressing east until you reach the Ent base (5).

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This is where things get tricky. Once you emerge onto the Old Forest road, it’s no-holds-barred, Elves vs. Mordor combat. Your goal is to construct and hold the four Sentry Tower spots on the map (7-10) for 90 seconds. Your best bet is to crush the Elves with a massive wave of attackers, so make sure your command points are maxed out and you have several trolls at the ready (Drummer Trolls are a necessity):

Destroying the base is a twofold exercise: You need to get both the southern and northern Ent Moots to completely finish off all the Ents. Take out the southern Ent Moot first, regroup, heal, recruit if need be, then assault the northern Ent Moot in the same fashion as you took out the other Ents. After the Ents are destroyed, head due north. You run into a contingent of Elves before long (6). Put your heroes in the lead to trample the Elves. Once that squad is down, move your army just short of the Old Forest road ahead and hold there until your Builders catch up with the group.

1. First, race in and destroy the small encampment due north (7). 2. After destroying the units, immediately raze the structures to prevent reinforcements. 3. Have several units guard the spot on the map with Shining Light to keep it secure, then move to the next spot (8) and so on. 4. After you secure the second spot (8), have a Builder start putting down a Sentry Tower at the first spot (7). 5. Keep this pattern up, always having two spots secure before building a Tower, so that you can repel ravaging Elves from their base in the northwest (11). 6. As far as the base is concerned, you’re better off leaving it alone until after you’ve constructed all of your Towers. Here are some general strategy rules for this massive onslaught:

• Keep your troops queued and continuously advancing toward the battlefield so they are always being replaced when they fall. • You have to be very judicious in the use of your forces; the Elves are ferocious, so now would be a good time to master your hot key settings. Also, make ample use of the mini-map so that you know where the hot spots are during every moment of the situation. • Make sure your Archers are always armed with Flaming Arrows. • Don’t forget your powers, especially Arrow Volley to thin out enemy ranks. Be wary, however, as there is a delay between initiating and actual execution.

Once the final countdown commences, run at least one Nazgûl right into the Fortress: this causes your enemies to shut the gates and forces them to use the side exits if they want out—unfortunately for them, the side exits are where the bulk of your forces should be arrayed (there is one on the northwestern corner, and one on the southern corner). All you have to do is keep the exits bottled up for 90 seconds and you carry the day.

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Evil Campaign

Mission 6: Withered Heath Primary • Find the dragon lord. • Free all the Fire Drakes from the Dwarven bases.

Bonus • Build a Fortress. • Destroy all Dwarven Mine Shafts.

Mouth of Sauron

Nazgûl

13 14

NONE

Guardian Phalanx Axe Thrower Catapult Battle Wagon Men of Dale

Start Enemy Encounter Objective

Allies

4 5

S 105

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NOTE Mission Overview Currying favor with a dragon is a dangerous game, but the foils of Sauron will attempt it nevertheless. To do so, they must wreak havoc on the Dwarves to show the dragon their support of its cause. It doesn’t hurt that the freedom of its young is among their other priorities—and a deadly addition to your fighting forces.

Snag the other Warg Lair to the south once Untamed Allegiance is recharged (5).

GENERAL TIPS • You should have the following powers at this point: War Chant, Tainted Land, Darkness, Untamed Allegiance, Arrow Volley, and Eye of Sauron. You likely won’t pick a new one on this mission.

Set your Catapult to destroy one of the walls nearest to your army, so as not to alert the Dwarves. Once the wall falls, the Fire Drakes are added to your army— have them fricassee the hapless guards.

• Fire Drakes are incredibly deadly and very resilient, though you should keep them out of harm’s way as much as possible. • This mission is a lot easier than the last two, so enjoy the feeling of overwhelming power. • Build Attack Trolls—lots of them. Have them queued and ready to go the entire time you’re running the map.

Walkthrough

Put your plan into motion by erecting a Fortress (1), a Tavern (upgrade it for Fire Arrows), and an Orc Pit. Build a few units to protect the base and some more resource structures. From there, proceed north to take out a battalion of Guardians—send your army out to destroy them and they fold in short order (mind your Catapult, however!). Then destroy the first Mine Shaft. Use Untamed Allegiance to seize the nearby Warg Lair and the Signal Fire that lies just ahead (there’s another lair (5) you can take later). After taking out the Mine Shaft, proceed due east until you encounter two more battalions of Guardians marching from the north, aided by a Catapult to the rear. Use your Catapult to destroy theirs, rush in and destroy the Dwarves, then continue moving.

In the first Dwarven base (7), you find all sorts of objectives: razing the base, freeing another set of Fire Drakes (6), and destroying a Mine Shaft. If you let the Fire Drakes lead the way with the trolls in tow, you can roll over the Dwarves with little effort. Destroy all of their unit-producing structures first, then get the Axe Throwers. Once you free the second set of Fire Drakes, concentrate on destroying the remnants of your enemies. Then seize the Warg Lair just to the north (9) or farm it.

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Evil Campaign

TIP As you press outward from your base, make sure your Builder is continuously laying down resources.

DESTROY EVERYTHING Bear in mind that you accrue power points by destroying things: units and structures. To that end, take down anything that makes your power point bar increase—test this by hitting any structure once.

The final Dwarven base (12) is much like the other bases—but easier. No Catapults and limited units make this a fairly straightforward assault. You should have six or more Fire Drakes in tow, as well as many Attack Trolls. Wade in and destroy the limited defenders, then free the final batch of Fire Drakes. From there, three waves of Dwarves arrive from the rear: Hold your ground and burn them down. Once they’re all toasty, proceed north for your final meeting with the dragon.

Northwest of the first base lies the second base (10)—send your Fire Drake-fortified army across the bitter tundra and tear the base down. Always have the Fire Drakes take out the Catapults while the trolls take down the gates. Once the gates are breached, send the army inside to take out any ground-based Catapults, then free the next set of Fire Drakes to the rear. With that, bring the entire base crashing down. Also grab the next Warg Lair located just along the edge of the northern wall (11).

One final pest must be put down before you treat with the dragon: six squads of Men of Dale (13-15). Again, use the Fire Drakes to torch them, then race for the dragon to bring the mission to a satisfying close.

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Mission 7: Erebor Primary • Make enough room to build a base by destroying the buildings of Dale. • Destroy the Throne of Erebor.

Bonus • Build a Fortress worthy of Sauron.

Mouth of Sauron

Nazgûl

Gloin

King Dain

Guardian Phalanx Axe Thrower Catapult Battle Wagon Men of Dale

2 3

Enemy Encounter Objective

Mission Overview It is time to finally put an end to the Dwarves and the Men of Dale. With this victory, Sauron’s grip on the northern lands will nearly be complete. However, this is no simple battle; in fact, it may seem insurmountable at first. This is probably the hardest mission of all the campaigns, but with some practice it can be done.

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Evil Campaign

GENERAL TIPS • You should have the following powers at this point: War Chant, Tainted Land, Darkness, Untamed Allegiance, Arrow Volley, and Eye of Sauron. You should have 20 power points at the outset to pick up Summon Dragon, and you earn at least 20 more power points to pick up Dragon Strike. • This mission is hard and cannot be beaten with a head-on frontal assault—you’re coming from a point of extreme weakness, so don’t try it.

Walkthrough

NOTE Due to the difficult nature of this level and the sheer number of foes, this walkthrough is written in phases, detailing the best way to handle each step.

NOTE There is a way to nab some quick resources at the outset, but it’s not recommended: After you encounter the first band of enemies in the Dale, units that look like Builders make a run deeper into Dale. If you can chase them down and kill them, they will all drop treasure. This strategy leaves your Catapults dangerously unprotected, though.

Phase 2: Erecting a Base

Phase 1: Establishing Territory

You’ve survived that torrent of foes, and the real work begins now. You won’t have enough money to establish a Fortress yet, but you do, at least, have the aid of the Mouth of Sauron and his Nazgûl to bolster your meager forces. The next steps are:

TIP Lead a wrecking crew through downtown Dale, clearing enough space to erect a Fortress for your dark lord, Sauron. This sounds straightforward, but there are several variables at play:

Build your base as close to Erebor as possible, which is difficult because of the constant assaults.

1. You need to take down a large chunk of buildings, which is simple with the artillery you are supplied. 2. You must defend yourself from several waves of Dwarven attackers while doing so. Use the Orc Warriors and Cave Trolls to protect the Catapults during these times. 3. Always have the Catapults trained on a building until your Builders show up. This sequence is tricky, so don’t be afraid to use Summon Dragon or Dragon Strike to level the field. You need to survive this first phase with at least your Cave Trolls and a few Catapults still running.

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Phase 4: Decapitation 1. Start generating resources as quickly as possible. This means putting down Slaughterhouses anywhere you can. 2. Be prepared for repeated attacks from the north as nonstop foes keep arriving. 3. Taking out all those foes gives you some badly needed power points, which enables you to pick up Summon Dragon or Dragon Strike if you haven’t already. 4. You must build a base with a Troll Cage and a Haradrim Palace (for Archers)— siege equipment doesn’t hurt, but you also need to upgrade your Fortress as much as possible. 5. Hold here until Gloin and his cohorts show up. Do not advance on the throne until Gloin is dead! The fight against Gloin is straightforward as long as you’re aware that he’s coming or in the vicinity. However, if you give him the chance, a Dwarven Citadel springs up, making your mission that much more difficult.

Phase 3: The Bait With Dain’s army marching down the hall toward your base, you need to have 2–3 Attack Trolls and at least 3–4 other fast-moving units, such as Haradrim Archers. As Dain takes the same redmarked route out that you took in, follow the blue route through the front gates of Erebor. Have the Attack Trolls smash down the door while your Archers act as a rear guard. As the trolls are smashing the gate in, use Dragon Strike to destroy the wall inside lined with Towers. After the doors come tumbling down, storm straight ahead, directly to the throne, and start hammering on it. Use the Eye of Sauron to amplify your attack power and the throne should shatter in short order. Using Summon Dragon is also a good idea to guard your troops’ backs while they go to work.

Now that you’ve repelled Gloin, set a trap of sorts. Gather as many quick units as you can (Nazgûl, for example) and follow the red route into the Fortress itself, to the very Throne of Erebor. This triggers King Dain’s march on your Fortress! If you attack along the red route, King Dain takes that way back out after he’s done with your cannon fodder (feel free to also use Summon Dragon and drop it on Dain’s forces). After he and nearly his entire army advance on you, launch Phase 4.

NOTE Be sure to capture the Fire Drake Lair and Signal Fire on your way in (3).

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Evil Campaign

Mission 8: Rivendell Primary • Penetrate the perimeter of Rivendell. • Destroy the House of Elrond and surrounding Fortresses (x2).

Bonus • Slay Arwen Evenstar.

Mouth of Sauron

Nazgûl Sauron

12 Fell Beast

Witch-king Gorkil Goblin King

9 7 Arwen

Galadriel

6 5

3 2

Aragorn

Gandalf

Legolas

Gimli

Gwahir

S Mirkwood Archer Lorien Archer Lorien Warrior Dunedain Ranger Mithlond Sentry

Start Enemy Encounter Objective Allies

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After the enemies have been routed by your Marauders, press east. Arriving at the Outpost (6), you have to take out two battalions of Lorien Archers. Once they go down, claim the Outpost and the shipwright (7) to the north.

Mission Overview This is it: the final battle between good and evil. This is a long, grinding battle, not something embarked upon lightly. It takes an iron will and nerves of steel to see this particular fight through to the end.

GENERAL TIPS • You should have the following powers at this point: War Chant, Tainted Land, Darkness, Untamed Allegiance, Arrow Volley, Eye of Sauron, and Summon Dragon (and, perhaps, Dragon Strike). • This entire map is a war of attrition; your main goal is to outlast your enemy. Always have units queued and building as others perish. • The battle is fought in stages, so make sure you have sufficient units at your base to ward off attacks by waves of very serious foes. • Remember: If Sauron loses, you lose—so don’t let him die!

Walkthrough As the final mission begins, immediately do the following:

1. Start building resource generators along the southern tier of Rivendell. 2. Build a Fissure and upgrade it to produce Mountain Giants. 2. Take over the Warg Lair (2). 3. Capture the Signal Fire (3). 4. Repulse the initial wave of Elven attackers, including Glorfindel (4). With that, it’s time to do some scouting. Send the Goblin King up the east side of the map, hugging the wall. Before long, he and his forces are ambushed (5)—when they are, make haste back to the base and draw as many enemies after you as possible.

Build a Battleship at the shipwright and sail across the river to destroy a Tower and the Archers inside (8). In the meantime, regroup your troops at your base—Archers equipped with Silverthorn Arrows menace you if you stay by the dock. Meanwhile, at the base, construct 3–4 Mountain Giants (if you haven’t already) and send them out to take out some of the Mirkwood Archers in Rivendell (9). They likely only get two of the Towers, and the Dunedain appear behind them to the west. However, after the Mountain Giants perish, the Dunedain make a beeline for your base. Be waiting for them, blades drawn, and with the forces of Mordor at your back.

A pitched battle is fought, but the odds are most certainly on your side with the Mouth of Sauron and his cohorts. Be careful with the Catapults, as they can damage your troops badly. After the Dunedain are slain, be sure to take out the band of hobbits.

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Evil Campaign

The next step is to rebuild all your forces and max out your command points to destroy Aragorn and his cohorts (10). Overcome them with sheer brute force—there isn’t a way to finesse this— then rebuild any lost units as you wait for Sauron to arrive.

Next, pepper the landscape with resource-generating structures and begin constructing an army that maxes out your command points. Mountain Giants and Attack Trolls are good choices to go with the various heroes you have assembled. Also consider building a Siege Works and upgrading it to level 3.

The time to strike is at night, when Sauron himself steps onto the field of battle. At this point, destroy the Elven city as much as possible. Take the same route you took earlier and gather your forces at the edge of the western bridge. Wait here (11) until all your forces arrive.

CAUTION Only send Sauron into battles you know he can walk away from; if he perishes, your game ends.

Now it gets interesting: You’re essentially going to fight a giant war of attrition, so send your maxed-out forces back to the city’s western entrance and do as much damage as possible. Tear down units, buildings, and anything else you can get your hands on. This sends your power points surging, enabling you to get the Balrog power (if you don’t already have it). Remember to have units queuing up as your troops go down. A swarm of Giant Eagles attacks your base next, but the Fell Beasts show up to help combat them—make sure you have Archers on hand.

If you didn’t get her earlier, Galadriel is waiting just ahead with a few battalions. Storm in and destroy them, focusing on taking out heroes and Archers first.

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You should have accrued sufficient points to have Balrog, Summon Dragon, and Dragon Strike at your disposalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;use them all to raze the closest Fortress.

Repeat this process until the Elves are destroyed; they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t launch an offensive on your base, so you can keep running this until all of their Fortresses and the House of Elrond are eliminated.

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Two-Player

Three-Player

Five-Player

Argonath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Black Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

Gondor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

Cair Andros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Grey Havens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Six-Player

Celduin River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Harlindon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Dagorlad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158

Dunland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

Minas Morgul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Dead Marshes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Erebor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Rivendell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Mirkwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160

Ettenmoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Four-Player

Rhun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Fangorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Arnor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

Shire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162

Forlindon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

Buckland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

Eight-Player

Gap of Rohan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Dol Guldur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

Mordor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

Harlindon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Enedwaith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

High Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Forochel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147

Iron Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

Grey Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Isengard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

Harad

Ithilien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Helmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Deep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Lorien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Minas Tirith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Redhorn Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Minhiriath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

Rohan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

Mount Doom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153

Tournament Snow . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

Osgiliath

Umbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

Tower Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Withered Hearth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

Weathertop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

An Abbreviated Atlas of Middle-earth One of the biggest differences between the original Battle for Middle-earth and its successor is the focus on a truly well-rounded multiplayer experience. An RTS is only as good as its maps and there are 46 of them in this newest chapter in the Rings saga; each offers unique charms and settings. This chapter features all 46 maps with all relevant information labeled upon them. Included features on the maps are:

WAR OF THE RING: Whether or not the map is viable in War of the Ring mode. STARTING POINTS: Where each faction will begin in its drive to conquer others. TECH BUILDINGS: The position of all tech buildings, including inns, outposts, and shipwrights. LAIRS: The locations of the various lairs scattered throughout the maps that can be used for farming, or depending on the faction, captured for unit production. SIGNAL FIRES: The locations of all signal fires on a given map.

NOTE These maps are arranged by number of players first (so all two-player maps are first, then three-player, and so on), then sorted alphabetically.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also added a short sidebar to each map with general tips and hints on how to approach it.

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

TIP There are a couple of universal tips that are equally beneficial, when applicable, throughout the maps. It is always a good idea to exploit your assets as soon as possibleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; seize the signal fires and tech building right away to ensure that you reap their benefits from the start. Also, farm the lairs in order to rapidly level your units.

117

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ARGONATH

E D E

NOTE

D E

This map is available only in the Collector’s Edition version of BFMEII.

A E

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: No Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 4 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 2

118

A B C D E

Start Point Inn Outpost Goblin Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • The river can be forded at more than one point, so set up your defenses accordingly.

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

CAIR ANDROS

D F

D B F C

A E B

A B

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 5 Lairs: 7 Signal Fires: 2

A B C D E F

Start Point Inn Outpost Cave Troll Lair Wight Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • Controlling the bridges is key—they can be used as choke points to hold off onrushing foes. Constructing towers is a good idea. • The southern river crossing is an excellent spot to launch a surprise attack if your foe is busy concentrating on seizing tech buildings when he should be worrying about you.

119

CELDUIN RIVER

F B

C E

G D D

B B D

G G

E A

C F VITAL STATISTICS

War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 12 Lairs: 8 Signal Fires: 2

120

B F

A B C D E F G

Start Point Inn Shipwright Outpost Signal Fire Wight Lair Cave Troll Lair

GENERAL TIPS • Seizing a shipwright (or two) quickly can lead to a huge early advantage. • The ships can be used to shell your foes’ tech buildings (if they manage to seize any,) as well as to guard the crossings leading into the general vicinity of your fortress.

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

DUNLAND

C B

A D

D A

B D

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 6 Signal Fires: 1

A B C D E

Start Point Inn Goblin Lair Warg Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • If you can’t capture the signal fire right away, use the ridge overlooking the signal fire to make your opponent’s life very, very difficult. • Your best course of action, though, is to set up a series of Archers on the ridge above the signal fire while simultaneously seizing it. Now you control the signal fire and can rebuff any attempts to claim it.

121

EREBOR

C C B D A

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 3 Lairs: 2 Signal Fires: 1

122

A B C D E

Start Point Inn Outpost Fire Drake Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • Erebor is one of the more unique maps, in that one player is garrisoned inside a very large fortress. On the flip side, the other player is able to seize the nearby tech buildings more quickly. • Also be aware of the single signal fire to the east—there will likely be a mad dash by both players to acquire it at the onset of a battle.

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

ETTENMOORS

D A B C E C B A D

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 1

A B C D E

Start Point Inn Goblin Lair Cave Troll Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • The obvious attraction here is the signal fire flanked by two lairs. Seizing the tower while farming the lairs could reap great rewards. • Your opponent will likely attempt to do the same, so taking out the lairs first might be your best option.

123

FANGORN

B C

C A

A C

B C

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 6 Signal Fires: 0

124

A B C

Start Point Outpost Goblin Lair

GENERAL TIPS • This is a very straightforward map that lacks any tech buildings, so you only need to concentrate on destroying your enemy. • There are only two points at which you can cross the river on this map, so controlling those crossings (with towers, perhaps) might be a good idea. • It is also useful to build mineshafts at the crossings to facilitate easy reinforcement.

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

FORLINDON

D B

A D

D B D

G F F

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 5 Lairs: 9 Signal Fires: 1

A B C D E F G

Start Point Outpost Shipwright Goblin Lair Warg Lair Fire Drake Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • The brass ring on this map represents the enemy-infested peninsula to the south with the signal fire as your ultimate goal. • As your fortress is quite near the shipwright, be sure to grab the shipwright early on and construct a landing ship to get your units to the signal fire quickly.

125

GAP OF ROHAN

D A

D D

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 8 Signal Fires: 0

126

A B C D

Start Point Outpost Goblin Lair Warg Lair

GENERAL TIPS • The outposts with lairs in each corner are ideal for capturing and farming. • There are three crossings on this map you can use to reach either side of the map, so concentrate on these as choke points to keep your opponent at bay.

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

HARLINDON

E D

C E

B E B A

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 7 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 0

C E D

A B C D E

Start Point Inn Outpost Shipwright Goblin Lair

GENERAL TIPS • If you can build a bombardment ship, it’s a good idea to seize the shipwright. • Ferry a landing team to the far side of the map in an effort to squeeze your foe in a vice maneuver. • The nearby outposts also have lairs situated near them for fairly easy and early farming.

127

HIGH PASS

A D

E C F

D A B C D E F

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 1 Lairs: 7 Signal Fires: 1

128

Start Point Outpost Goblin Lair Cave Troll Lair Spider Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This is a lopsided map and it would appear the player in the south has a more defensible position. • However, this makes it harder to launch offensive forays, since the mountains force an extended march to get around them.

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

IRON HILLS

C C C

D A B

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 0 Lairs: 8 Signal Fires: 2

A B C D E

Start Point Goblin Lair Spider Lair Fire Drake Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • It won’t do you much good to attempt to control the three crossing points, as it will likely spread you too thin. • The central crossing is a bit tricky due to the lairs flanking either side. Be prepared when moving through this gap as your enemy can take advantage of you if you’re tied up with the creeps.

129

ISENGARD

A B

B C A A B C

C VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 0

130

Start Point Outpost Warg Lair

GENERAL TIPS • Isengard is another unique map in that one player is firmly ensconced behind the wall, with two outposts, while the other player doesn’t have easy access to any assets. • What the other player does have access to are some lairs for farming purposes, so if you end up outside, make sure to use the lairs to maximum advantage.

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

ITHILIEN

B D

A B

B C B D

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 0 Lairs: 5 Signal Fires: 2

A B C D

Start Point Goblin Lair Cave Troll Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • Each player on this map has easy access to a signal fire, so make sure you seize your signal fire immediately. • There are four crossing points—the player in the south has the farming advantage. •Due to this advantage, the player in the north must destroy those lairs as quickly as possible so that he isn’t outstripped in veterancy.

131

LORIEN

C A

B B

A B C VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 3 Signal Fires: 0

132

Start Point Outpost Goblin Lair

GENERAL TIPS • Due to the lair placement in this map, the player in the east is at an offensive disadvantage. • The eastern player has a slight advantage, however, in that his outpost isn’t menaced by a lair.

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

REDHORN PASS

E F A

E E E

C D

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 7 Signal Fires: 1

A B C D E F

Start Point Inn Outpost Goblin Lair Cave Troll Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This map has an odd layout due to the location of each player—it is ideal for very quick and dirty skirmishes. • Don’t waste effort on gaining the signal fire—its lack of proximity to either base and the profusion of Cave Troll lairs are disadvantages. • The main drive of this map is to capture the inn before your opponent does.

133

ROHAN

D A

B D B D

D E

A C B

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 4 Lairs: 6 Signal Fires: 2

134

A B C D E

Start Point Outpost Cave Troll Lair Warg Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This map can lead to some very long and drawn-out battles due to the quantity of lairs and the amount of space between each base. • Farming is key here as you have so many lairs to choose from in the immediate vicinity of your base. • A strike to take out your foe in the early parts of the battle only really works for certain races, so be careful.

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

TOURNAMENT SNOW

A A B C

Start Point Inn Outpost

NOTE

This map is available only in the Collector’s Edition.

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: No Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 6 Lairs: 0 Signal Fires: 0

A GENERAL TIPS

• This is the only map in the game in which each side is a complete mirror image of the other. • It’s also completely devoid of lairs, so you can only clash with your foe to level up. • This may be the best map in the game for proving what you’re really made of, due to the lack of variability between each side of the map.

135

UMBAR

B C C

C D

NOTE This map is available only in the Collector’s Edition.

C C A

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: No Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 7 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 1

136

A B C D E F

Start Point Inn Shipwright Wight Lair Spider Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • Because this map is at least half water, controlling the sea is key. • Once you have a Shipwright seized, immediately embark for and capture the signal fire. • Standard battleships should also be able to shell the enemy base from the sea (although they don’t do a terrible amount of damage).

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

WITHERED HEATH

A E D B

C D E

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: No Number of Players: 2 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 2

A B C D E

Start Point Outpost Goblin Lair Fire Drake Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This map is fairly well-balanced, with each player having access to the same resources. • Attempting to capture the signal fires can be dangerous due to their proximity to Fire Drake lairs—you may just want to let your foe live dangerously while attempting to capture them. • The outposts have lairs near them; use them for farming.

137

BLACK GATE

A B

A B VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 3 Tech Buildings: 0 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 0

138

A B C

Start Point Goblin Lair Fire Drake Lair

GENERAL TIPS • Due to the placement of each army, the two players in the south will find themselves tangling early. • With that in mind, it might be best to tag team the northern enemy first, then deal with your more local foe (strike an early alliance to facilitate this).

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

GREY HAVENS

B B

C C

B B

D C A C VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 3 Tech Buildings: 10 Lairs: 2 Signal Fires: 0

A B C D

Start Point Outpost Shipwright Cave Troll Lair

GENERAL TIPS • The player in the southeast is at both a disadvantage and an advantage, as he is isolated (making it hard for him to battle) but he is also more difficult to reach (making it easier to build up a meaningful force). • The player in the northeast has an early advantage as he’s likely the only one capable of capturing the string of outposts located in the city-proper. • The player in the west is at a tremendous disadvantage, however, because there are no lairs for leveling and no tech buildings. He does have a lot of room to place resourcegenerating structures, though.

139

HARLINDON

E D

C E

B E B A

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 3 Tech Buildings: 5 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 0

140

C E D

A B C D E

Start Point Inn Outpost Shipwright Goblin Lair

GENERAL TIPS • If you can build a bombardment ship, it’s a good idea to seize the shipwright. • Ferry a landing team around to the far side of the map in an effort to squeeze your foe in a vice maneuver. • The nearby outposts have lairs situated near them for fairly easy and early farming.

Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

MINAS MORGUL

A C B B

A C

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 3 Tech Buildings: 3 Lairs: 2 Signal Fires: 0

A B C

Start Point Outpost Goblin Lair

GENERAL TIPS • The player to the north has an early major advantage due to the proximity of three outposts. • Both players to the south should strike an early alliance to knock off the foe to the north, then concentrate on one another.

141

RIVENDELL

D B D

A B C D

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 3 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 2 Signal Fires: 0

Start Point Inn Outpost Warg Lair

GENERAL TIPS • The northern player should take advantage of the fighting between the two southern players as they fight over resources. • The other two players will have their hands full from the outset with one another—keep an eye on the north at all times.

142

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

ARNOR

A A B C B A A A B C VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 0 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 1

Start Point Cave Troll Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This is an all-out battle for the signal fire in the center of the map. • While your foes knock themselves out trying to take that signal fire, you can strike and knock one of them off and add their land to your own.

143

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BUCKLAND

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 0 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 1

A C

A B C D

Start Point Cave Troll Lair Wight Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This is another map with a centrally-located signal fire. • In four-player maps, you have to be careful with temporary alliances (assuming you’re not playing a straight-up, allied match), as they can turn on you in a heartbeat.

144

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

DOL GULDUR

C A A B B B B

C B

B B

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 0 Lairs: 8 Signal Fires: 2

A B C

Start Point Spider Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This is another interesting layout, though this time the player in the fortress is at a disadvantage. • The other players have access to plenty of lairs from which to level up their units. • The northern player can use the distraction of the other players while they use the lairs to level up and attack.

145

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ENEDWAITH

B D A

A C

B D C

C A

A A B C D

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 7 Signal Fires: 4

Start Point Inn Warg Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This is a fairly balanced map, though the player in the southwest has quick access to two signal fires. • However, the southwest player has three bridges to defend, which can lead to serious trouble later in the game.

146

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

FOROCHEL

C A

NOTE

C A

This map is available only in the Collector’s Edition.

A C

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: No Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 10 Signal Fires: 1

A B C D

Start Point Outpost Cave Troll Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This is a well-balanced map with a central signal fire that everyone will, of course, be keen on controlling.

147

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GREY MOUNTAINS

E D

C B

A B C D E

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 2

Start Point Outpost Goblin Lair Fire Drake Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This map has a good mix of tech buildings, so get to yours early and hold it. • The wide-open area in the middle of the map can turn into a giant mosh pit, so watch your back at all times if you’re making a foray to the far corners of the map.

148

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

HARAD

A C

A C D

A C A C

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 7 Signal Fires: 1

A B C D

Start Point Inn Goblin Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • There can be a lot of friction when fighting over both the single signal fire and the tech buildings, so make sure you make an early power grab—especially for the tech buildings.

149

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HELM’S DEEP

B A

A A

A A B VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 3 Lairs: 0 Signal Fires: 0

Start Point Outpost

GENERAL TIPS • The player in the north has a distinct advantage at the outset with three outposts nearby. • Ganging up and eliminating the player to the north is likely the order of the day. • The only real disadvantage to being in the north (besides everyone trying to eliminate you right away) is the lack of land to build resource generators upon.

150

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

MINAS TIRITH

E C E

A C

D A

A D VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 3 Lairs: 4 Signal Fires: 2

A B C D E

Start Point Inn Outpost Goblin Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS â&#x20AC;˘ The player within the walls of Minas Tirith is at a great advantage due to proximity to two signal fires, as well as all the tech buildings on the map. â&#x20AC;˘ This makes it a necessity that the other players gang up and take out the player within the walls of Minas Tirith first, then concern themselves with their individual needs.

151

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MINHIRIATH

B A

A B C D

B VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 7 Signal Fires: 2

Start Point Outpost Wight Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This is a balanced four-player map, with two tech buildings and two signal fires. • Beware if you decide to venture through the center of the map. Trying to farm the two Barrow Wight lairs, especially early on, can be deadly.

152

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

MOUNT DOOM

E A B

A D A D

D B

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 4 Lairs: 8 Signal Fires: 2

D G

A B C D E F G

Start Point Inn Outpost Goblin Lair Cave Troll Lair Fire Drake Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This map is raw chaos, with lairs scattered seemingly at random. • For a four-player map, you’re uncomfortably close to your foes, so be on your toes. • The obvious conflicts center around controlling the signal fires at each end of the map.

153

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OSGILIATH

A B C

D C D

D E

D B

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 8 Lairs: 9 Signal Fires: 0

A B C D E

Start Point Inn Outpost Goblin Lair Cave Troll Lair

GENERAL TIPS • This map is very busy with lairs and their progeny, so be careful where you step. • The player in the northwest will have some trouble securing his tech building due to the proximity of lairs, so he should be extra careful. • The only way from one side of the map to the other is across the three spans. Controlling one of these (as long as three other players are active) can be a big advantage.

154

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

TOWER HILLS

B A

C B

D C

D B

C D B

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 4 Lairs: 8 Signal Fires: 1

A B C D E

Start Point Outpost Goblin Lair Warg Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • This is a symmetrical and well-balanced four-player map that allows for very even match-ups. • The signal fire is a welcome asset and can be defended ably by mounting Archers on the bluffs overlooking it.

155

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WEATHERTOP

C A

C B

C B C

NOTE

This map is available only in the Collector’s Edition.

A C

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: No Number of Players: 4 Tech Buildings: 4 Lairs: 8 Signal Fires: 0

A B C

Start Point Inn Cave Troll Lair

GENERAL TIPS • This four-player map has even resource distribution that can make for some very exciting and drawn-out battles. • Stay out of the center of the map, however, as you can very easily be crushed from the ridges on either side.

156

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

GONDOR

B B F

D B

D D

A C

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 5 Tech Buildings: 8 Lairs: 6 Signal Fires: 1

A B C D E F

Start Point Inn Shipwright Goblin Lair Wight Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • Capturing the shipwrights won’t serve much use on this map, unless your foe is foolish enough to construct buildings near the shore or he can get far enough along to construct bombardment-type ships. • There are only four tech buildings for five players, so bear this in mind—get and defend yours to the death early on.

157

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DAGORLAD

D A

A A D

F D

A D

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 6 Tech Buildings: 4 Lairs: 13 Signal Fires: 2

A B

A B C D E F

Start Point Inn Outpost Goblin Lair Fire Drake Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • There are a lot of lairs scattered across this map, so take advantage of them in the following ways: Use them to level your units up quickly; destroy them outright to prevent your foes from doing the same; or take advantage of foes engaged with them. • There are only two signal fires for six players—the players in the middle of each side are going to have some trouble reaching the signal fires in one piece.

158

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

DEAD MARSHES

C C A

A E D D E

A A D

D B

B VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 6 Tech Buildings: 0 Lairs: 16 Signal Fires: 2

A B C D E

Start Point Goblin Lair Cave Troll Lair Wight Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • Two players are very close to the signal fires on this map, so try to secure them quickly if you’re one of them. • Mind the Barrow Wight lairs in the middle of the map— there are several of them and they can be trouble. This is especially true if you get caught fighting them while your enemy creeps up on you.

159

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MIRKWOOD

C B C

B C C

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 6 Tech Buildings: 2 Lairs: 5 Signal Fires: 0

A B C

Start Point Outpost Spider Lair

GENERAL TIPS â&#x20AC;˘ This map is a bit lopsided and gives the player in the northwest corner a straight shot at the tech buildings, while the others may have to tangle with the spider lairs.

160

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

RHUN

A B

D C

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 6 Tech Buildings: 6 Lairs: 6 Signal Fires: 2

A B C D E

Start Point Inn Outpost Cave Troll Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • Long marches are the order of the day on this map—this likely gives the slower factions a chance to build substantial forces, so be wary. • Due to the placement of the signal fire, it shouldn’t be an overwhelming object of desire—if you can get it, do so, but don’t risk all to manage it.

161

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SHIRE

D D A

A B

B A

A A

D D VITAL STATISTICS

War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 6 Tech Buildings: 5 Lairs: 6 Signal Fires: 2

A B C D E

Start Point Outpost Green Dragon Inn Warg Lair Signal Fire

GENERAL TIPS • The Shire is very well-balanced, though it does have one very nice prize: the Green Dragon Inn, in the dead-center of the map. • The various lairs ringing the map make for good training camps for your units, so be sure to utilize them. • There are only four normal tech buildings for six players, so be aware of this at the outset of the map.

162

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Skirmish/Multiplayer Maps

MORDOR

B A

E A

A C

E A

A C

VITAL STATISTICS War of the Ring: Yes Number of Players: 8 Tech Buildings: 4 Lairs: 8 Signal Fires: 0

A B C D E

Start Point Goblin Lair Cave Troll Lair Fire Drake Lair Shipwright

GENERAL TIPS • Mordor is most suitable for very long, drawn-out battles due to its sheer size and scope. • The map is evenly balanced and can make for some epic 4v4 matches. • The shipwrights are useful in that you can quickly ferry units to the far side of the map, rather than doing extended marches—there are only four shipwrights for eight players, however.

163

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WAR OF THE RING One Ring to Rule Them All War of the Ring mode is an all-new addition to the Battle for Middle-earth franchise; it contains several different game types for waging war across the entirety of the known lands.

One to Rule Them All WORLD DOMINATION (ONE TO RULE THEM ALL)

Essentially, you pick a territory and then go about trying to defeat foes by conquering the territory. The various game types are detailed here:

War of the Ring Game Types War of the Ring CAPITAL ASSAULT (WAR OF THE RING)

The goal in World Domination is to seize control of a given number of enemy territories to claim victory. This does not necessarily include the enemy’s capital; it simply involves you attempting to capture as many territories as possible. This mode can be very long and drawn-out depending on the number of people playing—as the available territories shrink, the intense fighting over the limited remaining territories can become fierce and lengthy.

Strongholds In Capital Assault mode (which encompasses the myriad forms of War of the Ring), you need to eliminate your foe by capturing his capital. The capital is determined at the outset when you select the territory you plan to defend. Throughout the game, you have to conquer other territories, as in normal War of the Ring mode, especially those that net you a boost (see the tables contained in this section).

CONQUEST (STRONGHOLDS OF MIDDLE-EARTH)

Sole Survivor ELIMINATION (SOLE SURVIVOR) This is not a game type for the faint of heart. As the various strongholds are scattered throughout the map in vastly disparate places, you’re in for a very long, very drawn-out campaign to capture them all. Later in the campaign, it becomes even more difficult to capture strongholds because your enemies have had time to set up stronger defenses (if you’ve played the Campaign mode, you can appreciate this to some degree). Striking alliances with other players might temporarily help matters, but what happens when it’s time to divvy up the spoils? Think of this game type as Skirmish mode writ large: Instead of fighting over one map, you’re bent on destroying every last unit your enemy possesses across the whole of Middle-earth (or at least the area you determine at the outset of the match). There are two different ways to approach this: with a preset number of territories under your belt or entirely free-form.

Overarching Gameplay The essential strategy in War of the Ring mode is to match the strengths of a faction (Men of the West, Dwarves, Elves, Mordor, Isengard, or goblins) to that of the various territories you can start with. From there, move out to conquer. While the modes change, the stats of each territory do not.

164

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War of the Ring

Note that it shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always be assumed that playing the Mordor faction is best when in Mordor (region) and that the Men of the West are always supreme in Gondor. Individual play style has an impact on where it makes the most sense to start, as does the size of a given map.

Arnor Territory Arnor Buckland Ettenmoors Rivendell The Shire Tower Hills

Bonus 1 5% Experience Bonus 5% Experience Bonus 60 Command Points 5% Defense Bonus 60 Command Points 5% Attack Bonus

Territory Dunland Enedwaith Forlindon Grey Havens Harlindon Minhiriath

Bonus 1 5% Experience Bonus 5% Defense Bonus 60 Command Points 5% Defense Bonus 60 Command Points 5% Attack Bonus

Territory Cair Andros Gap of Rohan Gondor Helmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Deep Minas Tirith Osgiliath Rohan

Bonus 1 5% Attack Bonus 60 Command Points 60 Command Points 5% Attack Bonus 5% Defense Bonus 60 Command Points 5% Defense Bonus

Bonus 2 10 Power Points 10% Resource Multiplier 5% Attack Bonus 10 Power Points 5% Defense Bonus 10% Resource Multiplier

Unified Region Bonus 20% Experience Bonus 20% Experience Bonus 20% Experience Bonus 20% Experience Bonus 20% Experience Bonus 20% Experience Bonus

Eriador Bonus 2 10% Resource Multiplier 10% Resource Multiplier 5% Attack Bonus 10 Power Points 5% Experience Bonus 10 Power Points

Unified Region Bonus 15% Attack Bonus 15% Attack Bonus 15% Attack Bonus 15% Attack Bonus 15% Attack Bonus 15% Attack Bonus

Gondor Bonus 2 10% Resource Multiplier 5% Experience Bonus 5% Attack Bonus 10 Power Points 10 Power Points 5% Experience Bonus 10% Resource Multiplier

Unified Region Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20%Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus

Mordor Territory Black Gate Harad Ithilien Minas Morgul Mordor Mount Doom

Bonus 1 60 Command Points 60 Command Points 5% Defense Bonus 5% Attack Bonus 5% Attack Bonus 5% Experience Bonus

Territory Dol Guldur Fangorn High Pass Isengard Lorien Mirkwood Redhorn Pass

Bonus 1 5% Attack Bonus 60 Command Points 5% Attack Bonus 5% Defense Bonus 5% Defense Bonus 60 Command Points 60 Command Points

Bonus 2 5% Defense Bonus 5% Experience Bonus 10% Resource Multiplier 10 Power Points 10 Power Points 10% Resource Multiplier

Unified Region Bonus 20% Experience Bonus 20% Experience Bonus 20% Experience Bonus 20% Experience Bonus 20% Experience Bonus 20% Experience Bonus

Rhovanion Bonus 2 10 Power Points 5% Experience Bonus 10% Resource Multiplier 10 Power Points 10% Resource Multiplier 5% Experience Bonus 5% Attack Bonus

Unified Region Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus 20% Defense Bonus

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Rhun Territory Celduin Dagorlad Dead Marshes Erebor Iron Hills Rhun

Bonus 1 5% Experience Bonus 60 Command Points 5% Experience Bonus 5% Defense Bonus 60 Command Points 5% Defense Bonus

Bonus 2 10% Resource Multiplier 5% Attack Bonus 10 Power Points 10 Power Points 5% Attack Bonus 10% Resource Multiplier

NOTE The following territories are strongholds: Rivendell, Isengard, Helm’s Deep, Minas Tirith, Minas Morgul, Erebor, and Dol Guldur.

Key Concepts War of the Ring mode is broken up into turns, with building, combat, etc. happening in distinct phases.

Phase 1: Tactical

Unified Region Bonus 15% Attack Bonus 15% Attack Bonus 15% Attack Bonus 15% Attack Bonus 15% Attack Bonus 15% Attack Bonus

NOTE These are the only structures you can erect in Phase 1 (Tactical) mode—during Phase 2 (Battle) you have access to the full complement of available structures. You also move your troops to adjacent territories in an attempt to conquer them while your foe does the same. If the territory is neutral, it’s automatically claimed (provided an enemy doesn’t land on it in the same turn). If an opposing army already occupies the territory, then you can battle it out in Phase 2.

NOTE

In the Tactical phase, take care of all the overarching issues related to your kingdom, including building structures, recruiting combatants (from a Barracks), and choosing where to deploy your troops to next.

Each structure and unit takes a certain number of turns to complete construction, so you can’t simply click on a Barracks, for example, and immediately begin churning out troops.

Phase 2: Battle

There are a few important items to point out. Unlike a normal game, you can only build four structure types: Fortress Barracks Blacksmith Farm

These four structures will suffice to carry your conquest across the world and, more importantly, keep the pace of the game moving at a steady clip—certain modes can take very lengthy amounts of time to complete, especially between skilled players.

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Unlike Skirmish mode, you do not have to battle it out manually every time you encounter a hostile foe. When playing against the computer this is especially true, as you can Auto-Resolve each battle. This means that you can have the computer determine who wins based on a series of algorithms. By and large, you want to be careful here—you should only use this option if you’re assured of a victory. If it’s even remotely close, it is strongly recommended that you manually determine the outcome by skirmishing.

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War of the Ring

AUTO-RESOLVE There are a few criteria for determining when best to use Auto-Resolve: • Do not use AutoResolve if you are badly outmatched—it’s better to chance the fight than to be instantly destroyed in Auto-Resolve. You can determine relative strength by the number of bars on the flag of each army (from 1 to 3). • Generally it’s not wise to use Auto-Resolve when dealing with a garrisoned Fortress—without a huge army, the force ensconced within has the advantage. • Use Auto-Resolve when you hopelessly outmatch a foe or if you want a quick resolution. • If your goal is to specifically level up a given hero, do not use it—your hero is more likely to receive the attention he deserves if you battle it out. The same principle applies for the various units under your control. • Use Auto-Resolve if you want to build more structures to accrue more command points. It can be quicker to do this while fighting a battle than when you are in Tactical mode. Be aware that the number of command points you have in Tactical mode does not carry over to real-time battles, however. Auto-Resolve is also better used when facing computercontrolled foes, as your human enemies are likely to see its use as a sign of weakness.

Phase 3: Retreat

War of the Ring FAQ While you’ll find that War of the Ring mode plays much like Skirmish mode, with an extra layer of management applied across the top, it opens a whole new avenue of play and greatly extends the life of the game. Below we’ve also compiled some Frequently Asked Questions that address areas people may have confusion about:

Q: Can I use powers during War of the Ring mode? A: Yes, you can accrue power points during the Battle phase and purchase power as you normally would. However, you can only use these when involved in a real-time battle. Q: Do units I create in Phase 2 carry over into other modes? A: Yes, if you create several battalions of infantry, they are added to your overall forces and paired with the hero that began the battle. Q: What happens if I have multiple heroes engaging in a single real-time battle? A: This is interesting: what happens is each subsequent hero after the first to arrive in the territory is treated as a reinforcement. A timer is set to determine when they can become available. By and large, this makes it not worth piling several heroes up on one territory. Q: How do I increase the number of available command points? A: Just as in Skirmish mode, you need to build resource structures, both in the Tactical mode and in real-time combat. Q: How often should I build Fortresses? Should I build them on every territory I conquer? A: If you have the resources available, Fortresses are the best way to hold down a territory that lacks an army headed by a hero. This option is limited by your resources and how you intend to spend them— remember that they are expensive and can impede your ability to wage war effectively later. Q: What else should I be erecting on build plots? A: This really depends on what your aim is. If you need resources (and, be extension, command points), building Farms is the best way to go.

This sequence occurs automatically and simply shows the results of the previous turn’s actions. So, if you were drummed out of a territory, it shows what’s left of your army marching back to where it came from. On the flipside, it also shows your enemy driven back if you conquered him.

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APPENDICES APPENDICES

TERMINOLOGY

Men Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

The terms used in these appendices can be daunting. The following is a complete list of the terms used in the tables. Please note that not all terms apply to every entry:

Men Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Unit Name: The name of the structure or unit in-game.

Dwarven Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Dwarven Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Health: The initial hit points of a unit before veterancy is factored in (see the sidebar “A Word on Veterancy” for more info).

Elven Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Vision: How close a stealth enemy unit can be before it’s detected.

Elven Structures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Mordor Units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Shroud: The amount of the “fog of war” that is pushed back in a radius around a unit.

Mordor Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Build Time: The time it takes to construct a unit (in seconds).

Isengard Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Cost: How many resources a unit costs.

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Isengard Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

P. Damage: The damage caused by the primary weapon.

Goblin Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

P. Range: The range of the primary weapon (where applicable).

Goblin Structures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

P. DmgType: The type of damage caused by the primary weapon. S. Damage: The damage caused by the secondary weapon.

Introduction While The Battle for Middle-earth II is easily recognizable as an incredibly complex game, you’d never know how complex it truly was if you didn’t have access to the underlying numbers that drive the game. In these appendices, we show you just how much is going on “under the hood” of this amazing title. Herein you’ll find all the base stats for the units and structures in the game, what type of damage a particular unit deals, how well the armor of a given unit withstands those types of damage, and lots of other numbers that could keep you busy for weeks. These appendices are in no way required reading to derive full enjoyment from the game, but for those who like the nittygritty, nuts and bolts elements, it’s all here to savor.

How Useful Is This, Really? In large part, these appendices simply look like giant spreadsheets with all sorts of esoteric and arcane words and numbers, but it’s entirely possible to get a picture of how things function in-game. For example, comparing any of the hero unit stats to those of a regular unit gives you a very good idea of how formidable a given unit is against another—how the Witch-king might fare against a battalion of Rangers, for example.

S. Range: The range of the secondary weapon (where applicable). S. DmgType: The type of damage caused by the secondary weapon. Speed: The rate of movement of a given unit. Default: The base damage mitigation level (please see the “Armor Mitigation” sidebar for more information). Slash: Slashing damage percentage. Pierce: Piercing damage percentage. Crush: Crushing damage percentage. Siege: Siege weapon damage. Flame: Fire damage percentage. Magic: Magic damage percentage. Hero: Percentage damage dealt by hero units. HeroRng: Percentage damage dealt by Ring hero units. Cavalry: Cavalry damage percentage.

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Appendices

ARMOR MITIGATION The most complex part of the appendices is the percentage of damage taken from a particular form of attack. Certain units are better-suited for battle against specific types than others (Cavalry, for example, is deadly to Archers). The columns of the tables that are headed with “Siege,” “Flame,” etc. and the percentages following them show how much damage a particular unit takes from that form of abuse. For starters, all attacks start at 100 percent and are mitigated (or amplified) from there. So, if you look at the table and see 100 percent from flame, that means that unit takes the full complement of damage from that type of attack. If, however, it reads 50 percent, the unit takes only half the normal damage from that type of attack. If another heading says 200 percent, then that unit takes twice the normal damage from that type of attack.

One last note: The upgraded armor stats following the default armor numbers refer to the upgrades purchased at a forge, such as mithril armor—they provide a massive boost to damage mitigation.

A WORD ON VETERANCY Veterancy refers to what level your unit is currently. All units start at level 1 and then proceed to level 5 (for non-hero units) or level 10 (for hero units). Naturally, a level 5 unit is much more resilient than a level 1 unit. The tables give the base health, armor, and damage ratings for the various units as they stand at level 1. Below, however, you’ll find what effect leveling up has on each and every unit in the game.

With these numbers you can determine exactly how deadly a type of attack is against a particular unit when compared to the damage type and attack power from another unit. This makes it easier to tell how much damage a given unit will inflict upon another. However, this doesn’t take veterancy into account, so be careful out there!

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Men Units Unit Name Health Aragorn 2400 Archer Horde 100 Boromir 2800 Éomer 2400 Éowyn 1600 Faramir 2000 Fighter Horde 200 Frodo 800 Gandalf 2400 Gwaihir 2000 Knight Horde 400 Merry 400 Pippin 400 Porter 500 Ranger Horde 400 Rohirrim Horde 800 Sam 600 Théoden 1600 Tower Shield Guard Horde 320 Trebuchet 2000

Vision 175 360 175 30 30 450 175 — 175 400 175 — — 25 480 200 — 30 175 500

Shroud 300 25 300 1500 1500 500 25 160 300 600 25 0 0 100 25 500 0 1500 25 400

Build Time 30 20 30 30 30 30 20 15 45 — 25 20 — 30 30 45 15 30 20 30

Cost 2000 250 1250 1000 1200 1200 200 200 3000 — 500 50 — 500 500 750 200 1200 350 1000

P. Damage 400 25 300 80 150 150 40 60 100 — 60 60 0 — 75 — 0 180 50 600

P. Range P. DmgType S. Damage S. Range — HERO — — 300 PIERCE — — — HERO — — — HERO — — — HERO — — 350 HERO_RANGED — — — SLASH — — — HERO — — — HERO — — — HERO 500 — — CAVALRY — — — HERO 200 200 — HERO 0 0 — — — — 400 PIERCE — — — — — — — HERO — — — HERO — — — SPECIALIST — — 500 SIEGE — —

Men Structures

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Unit Name Archery Range Arrow Tower Expansion Barracks Base Tower Base Wall Base Wall Trebuchet Battle Tower Farm Forge Fortress Citadel Garrison Tower Expansion Gate Heroic Statue Marketplace Sentry Tower Stable Statue Stone Maker Trebuchet Expansion Wall Cliff Cap Wall Gate Wall Gate Small

Health 3000 — 3000 — — — 3000 1500 1500 7500 1500 — 600 2500 — 3000 600 2500 1500 1500 — 1500

Vision 360 600 — — — — 600 160 — 400 600 — 300 160 600 — — 160 500 160 — 160

Shroud 160 500 160 — — — 500 300 160 800 500 — 300 160 500 160 — 160 500 160 — 160

Time 30 30 30 — — — 30 15 60 120 5 — 10 45 30 30 — 45 30 20 — 25

Build Cost 300 500 300 — — — 500 300 1000 5000 500 — 300 1500 500 600 300 1500 1200 100 — 500

Damage — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Range — 250 — — — — 250 — — — — — — — — — — — 500 — — —

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DmgType — STRUCTURAL — — — — STRUCTURAL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Appendices

S. DmgType — — — — — — — — — SIEGE — HERO_RANGED HERO_RANGED — — — — — — —

Slash 75% 100% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 25% 100% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% — 75% 100% — — 10%

Speed 40 45 40 35 35 40 55 35 40 — 90 0 0 60 55 100 0 35 45 30

Default 25% 100% 25% 25% 25% 25% 100% 25% 25% 100% 100% 25% 25% 100% 100% 100% 25% 25% 100% 100%

Pierce 75% 200% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 25% 200% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% — 75% 200% — — —

Slash 25% 100% 25% 25% 25% 25% 100% 25% 25% 0% 80% 25% 25% 100% 100% 80% 25% 25% 200% 100%

Specialist 1% 25% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 25% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% — 1% 25% — — 1%

Pierce 25% 100% 25% 1% 1% 25% 150% 1% 25% 100% 50% 1% 1% 100% 100% 50% 1% 1% 125% 25%

Crush 75% 100% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 25% 100% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% — 75% 100% — — —

Specialist 25% 100% 25% 50% 50% 25% 40% 50% 25% 0% 200% 50% 50% 100% 100% 200% 50% 50% 100% 100%

Siege 1% 150% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 150% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% — 1% 150% — — —

Crush 1% 200% 1% 25% 25% 1% 100% 25% 1% 0% 1% 25% 25% 100% 200% 1% 25% 25% 10% 1%

Siege 50% 100% 50% 100% 100% 50% 100% 100% 50% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Flame 150% 300% 150% 150% 150% 150% 150% 150% 150% 150% 300% 150% 150% 150% 150% 150% — 150% 300% — — 200%

Flame 25% 100% 25% 50% 50% 25% 100% 50% 25% 50% 100% 50% 50% 100% 100% 100% 50% 50% 100% 100%

Magic 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 1% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% — 100% 100% — — 1%

Magic 100% 100% 100% 50% 50% 100% 100% 50% 100% 50% 100% 50% 50% 100% 100% 100% 50% 50% 100% 100%

Hero — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Hero 50% 200% 50% 50% 50% 50% 200% 50% 50% 100% 200% 50% 50% 100% 200% 200% 50% 50% 200% 200%

HeroRng 50% 200% — — — 50% 200% — 50% 100% 200% — — 100% 200% 200% — — 200% 200%

HeroRng 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 75% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% — 50% 50% — — —

Cavalry 50% 200% 25% — — 50% 150% — 50% — 100% — — — 200% 100% — — 20% 200%

Cavalry 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% — 10% 10% — — —

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Men Structures (Continued) Unit Name Wall Hub Small Wall Hub Small Expansion Wall Postern Gate Wall Postern Gate Small Wall Segment Small Wall Tower Small Wall Trebuchet Small Well Workshop

Health — 1500 — — 1500 1500 1500 600 3000

Vision 160 160 — — 160 600 160 160 —

Shroud 160 160 — — 160 500 160 160 160

Time 25 25 — — 20 20 30 45 30

Build Cost 200 200 — — 100 500 1200 300 800

Vision 175 550 175 175 550 550 175 550 550 175 480 175 25

Shroud 25 400 200 400 400 300 200 400 400 400 400 400 100

Build Time 20 30 30 30 40 30 30 30 30 20 30 30 30

Cost 250 800 600 500 800 2500 600 4000 1500 250 500 300 500

P. Damage 50 50 1000 300 300 300 1000 500 400 300 50 45 —

Health 5000 5000 — 3000 2000 3000 3000 — 1000 7500 1500 3000 1500 0 1000 0

Vision 160 — — 160 160 160 160 200 600 400 45 160 160 0 45 45

Shroud 161 160 160 160 160 160 160 250 500 800 2000 300 300 0 2000 2000

Time 45 20 — 30 30 30 15 15 30 120 5 45 15 0 30 0

Build Cost 600 400 — 1200 500 200 100 500 1200 — 400 300 300 0 500 0

Damage — — — — — — — — —

Range — — — — — 250 — — —

DmgType — — — — — PIERCE — — —

Dwarven Units Unit Name Axe Thrower Horde Banner Battering Ram Battle Wagon Catapult Dain Demolisher Gimli Gloin Guardian Horde Men of Dale Horde Phalanx Horde Porter

Health 240 400 4000 3000 2000 3000 4000 4000 3000 — 200 500 500

P. Range 250 11.5 0 — 500 — 0 — 0 0 380 — —

P. DmgType PIERCE SLASH SIEGE CAVALRY SIEGE HERO SIEGE HERO HERO SLASH PIERCE SPECIALIST —

S. Damage S. Range — — — — 1000 — — — — — — — 1000 — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Dwarven Structures Unit Name Archery Range Barracks Bunker Castle Wall Catapult Castle Wall Gate Castle Wall Hub Castle Wall Segment Castle Wall Tower Catapult Expansion Fortress Citadel Hall Expansion Hearth Mine Shaft Mine Shaft for Undermine Sentry Tower Sentry Tower Independent

Damage — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Range — — — — — — — 250 — — — — — — — —

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DmgType — — — — — — — STRUCTURAL — STRUCTURAL — — — — STRUCTURAL STRUCTURAL

Appendices

Slash 10% 10% — — 10% — — 75% 75%

S. DmgType — — SIEGE — — — SIEGE — — — — — —

Slash — 75% — — 10% — — — 100% 25% — — — — — —

Pierce — — — — — — — 75% 75%

Speed 45 — — 85 — 45 — — — — — 55 60

Specialist 1% 1% — — 1% — — 1% 1%

Default 100% 100% 50% 100% 25% 25% 50% 25% 25% 25% 100% 100% 100%

Pierce — 75% — — — — — — 200% 25% — — — — — —

Slash 100% 100% 100% 80% 100% 25% 100% 25% 25% 25% 100% 200% 100%

Specialist — 1% — — 1% 100% 100% — 25% 1% 25% — — — — —

Crush — — — — — — — 75% 75%

Pierce 100% 150% 25% 50% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% 100% 125% 100%

Crush — 75% — — — — — — 100% 25% 25% — — — — —

Siege — — — — — — — 1% 1%

Specialist 100% 40% 100% 200% 25% 25% 100% 25% 25% 25% 100% 100% 100%

Siege — 1% — — — — — — 150% 1% 25% — — — — —

Flame 200% 200% — — 200% — — 150% 150%

Crush 200% 100% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 200% 10% 100%

Siege 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 50% 100% 50% 50% 50% 100% 100% 100%

Flame — 150% — — 200% 100% 100% — 300% 150% — — — — — —

Magic 1% 1% — — 1% — — 100% 100%

Flame 100% 100% 100% 50% 100% 25% 100% 25% 25% 25% 100% 100% 100%

Magic — 100% — — 1% 200% 200% — 100% 1% — — — — — —

Hero — — — — — — — — —

Magic 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Hero — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

HeroRng — — — — — — — 50% 50%

Hero 200% 200% 200% 200% 200% 50% 200% 50% 50% 50% 200% 200% 100%

HeroRng 200% 200% 100% 200% 200% — 100% — — 0% 200% 200% 100%

HeroRng — 50% — — — — — — 50% 50% — — — — — —

Cavalry — — — — — — — 10% 10%

Cavalry 200% 150% 50% 100% 200% 25% 50% 25% 25% 25% 200% 20% —

Cavalry — 10% — — — — — — 10% 10% — — — — — —

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Dwarven Structures (Continued) Unit Name Siege Works Statue Summoned Citadel Keep Wall Catapult Small Wall Gate Small Wall Hub Small Wall Hub Small Expansion Wall Postern Gate Wall Postern Gate Small Wall Segment Small Wall Tower Small

Health 3000 3000 10000 1500 500 500 — 1000 — 500 3000

Vision — 160 — 30 5 30 30 160 200 45 30

Shroud 2000 300 — 3000 20 450 450 160 250 1000 500

Time 30 15 — 300 5 — — 15 15 600 —

Vision 175 175 500 175 175 175 450 450 400 175 600 175 25 175 450

Shroud 300 25 600 300 300 300 500 500 25 25 25 25 100 25 500

Build Time 30 30 20 30 300 30 30 30 30 30 45 30 30 30 30

Cost 800 800 750 2500 10000 1500 2000 3000 300 300 800 300 500 500 2500

Health — 1000 1500 1500 1500 1500 7500 6000 3000 1000 3000 1500 1500

Vision — 600 160 160 160 — 400 450 — 600 430 300 400

Shroud — 500 160 160 160 — 800 25 160 500 160 300 400

Time — 30 20 20 20 20 120 60 30 30 30 15 45

Build Cost 800 300 — — — — — 300 500 — —

Damage — — — — — — — — — — —

Range — — — — — — — — — — —

DmgType — — — — — — — — — — STRUCTURAL

Elven Units Unit Name Health Arwen 2000 Banner 125 Battleship 1000 Elrond 3500 Galadriel 5000 Glorfindel 1500 Haldir 2000 Legolas 2500 Lorien Archer Horde 125 Lorien Warrior Horde 125 Mirkwood Archer Horde 150 Mithlond Sentry Horde 125 Porter 500 Rivendell Lancer Horde 300 Thranduil 2000

P. Damage 100 80 — 250 1000 150 120 200 40 80 90 55 — 60 200

P. Range P. DmgType S. Damage S. Range — HERO — — — SLASH — — — — — — — HERO — — — MAGIC — — — HERO — — — HERO — — 400 HERO_RANGED 200 — 350 PIERCE — — — SLASH — — 450 PIERCE — — — SPECIALIST — — — — — — — CAVALRY — — 400 HERO_RANGED — —

Elven Structures Unit Name Barracks Battle Tower Castle Wall Gate Castle Wall Hub Castle Wall Hub Expansion Castle Wall Segment Citadel Ent Moot Eregion Forge Floodgate Expansion Green Pasture Mallorn Tree Mirror of Galadriel

Build Cost — 500 500 150 150 80 5000 1000 1000 1500 600 300 200

Damage — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Range — 250 — — — — — — — 100 — — —

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DmgType — STRUCTURAL — — — — — — — — — — —

Appendices

Slash — — — — — — — — — — —

S. DmgType — — — — — — — HERO — — — — — — —

Slash 75% 75% 10% — 10% 10% 25% 75% 75% 100% 75% 75% 75%

Pierce — — — — — — — — — — —

Speed 65 65 120 65 55 65 65 65 65 65 65 55 60 100 65

Specialist — — — — 100% 100% 25% — — 100% —

Default 25% 100% 50% 25% 10% 25% 25% 25% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 25%

Pierce 75% 75% — — — — 25% — 75% 200% 75% 75% 75%

Slash 25% 100% — 25% — 25% 25% 25% 100% 100% 100% 200% 100% 80% 25%

Specialist 1% 1% 1% — 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 25% 1% 1% 1%

Crush — — — — — — 25% — — — —

Pierce 25% 150% — 25% 5% 25% 25% 25% 100% 150% 100% 125% 100% 50% 25%

Crush 75% 75% — — — — 25% — 75% 100% 75% 75% 75%

Siege — — — — — — 25% — — — —

Specialist 25% 40% — 25% — 25% 25% 25% 100% 40% 100% 100% 100% 200% 25%

Siege 1% 1% — — — — 1% — 1% 150% 1% 1% 1%

Flame — — — — 100% 100% — — — 100% —

Crush 1% 100% — 1% — 1% 1% 1% 200% 100% 200% 10% 100% 1% 1%

Siege 50% 100% — 50% — 50% 50% 50% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 50%

Flame 150% 150% 200% — 200% 200% 150% 150% 150% 300% 150% 150% 150%

Magic — — — — 200% 200% — — — 200% —

Flame 25% 100% — 25% — 25% 25% 25% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 25%

Magic 100% 100% 1% — 1% 1% 1% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Hero — — — — — — — — — — —

Magic 100% 100% — 100% — 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Hero — — — — — — — — — — — — —

HeroRng — — — — — — — — — — —

Hero 50% 200% — 50% 100% 50% 50% 50% 200% 200% 200% 200% 100% 200% 50%

HeroRng 50% 200% — 50% — 50% 50% 50% 200% 200% 200% 200% 100% 200% 50%

HeroRng 50% 50% — — — — 50% — 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%

Cavalry — — — — — — — — — — —

Cavalry 50% 150% — 50% — 50% — — 200% 150% 200% 20% — 100% —

Cavalry 10% 10% — — — — 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%

175 Continued on Next Page Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading expressly prohibited.

Elven Structures (Continued) Unit Name Sentry Tower Statue Vigilant Ent Expansion Watchtower Expansion

Health — 600 1000 1000

Vision — 300 600 600

Shroud 160 300 500 500

Time — 10 30 30

Build Cost — 150 1200 500

Damage — — 500 —

Range — — 600 250

DmgType — — SIEGE STRUCTURAL

Mordor Units Unit Name Archer Horde Attack Troll Banner Orc Battering Ram Black Rider Catapult Corsair Ship Corsairs of Umbar Horde Drummer Troll Easterling Horde Fell Beast Fighter Horde Gothmog Grond Haradrim Archer Horde Mountain Troll Mouth of Sauron Mûmakil Porter Sauron Siege Tower Transport Ship Witch-king

Health 100 3000 120 300 2000 2000 1000 2000 2000 320 6000 125 2400 8000 400 1500 5000 8000 500 15000 2000 — 8000

Vision 280 175 30 30 175 550 500 30 30 175 0 175 30 250 390 30 30 400 25 30 30 30 0

Shroud 500 400 500 1250 300 4000 750 500 400 500 0 500 2000 1250 500 500 1500 — 100 1500 500 10000 0

Build Time 30 45 30 300 40 30 20 30 45 40 60 25 30 60 45 45 45 60 30 300 45 — 60

Cost 300 1000 1000 — 1000 300 750 400 750 400 3000 100 1200 5000 500 500 1500 1600 500 10000 1000 — 5000

P. Damage 20 400 30 HERO 150 — — HERO 120 60 — 0 200 — 38 200 320 — — 2000 — — —

P. Range 275 — — — — 500 — — — — — — — — 350 — — — — — — — —

Build Cost 600 5000 600 500 1000 300 800 300 500 750

Damage — — — — — — — — — —

P. DmgType S. Damage S. Range PIERCE — — SIEGE 0 — SLASH — — SIEGE HERO — HERO — — FLAME 60 420 — — — SLASH — — CRUSH — — SPECIALIST — — — — — SLASH — — HERO — — — — — PIERCE — — SIEGE 200 — HERO — — CRUSH 600 — — — — SIEGE — — — — — — — — — — —

Mordor Structures Unit Name Fortress Barricade Expansion Fortress Citadel Gate Watchers Expansion Haradrim Palace Mûmakil Pen Orc Pit Siege Works Slaughterhouse Tavern Troll Cage

Health 2000 7500 1500 1500 1500 1500 1500 1500 3000 1500

Vision 600 400 600 160 160 160 160 160 — 160

Shroud 500 800 500 160 160 160 160 300 160 160

Time 30 120 30 30 45 35 30 15 45 45

Range — — 150 — — — — — — —

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DmgType — — — — — — — — — —

Appendices

Slash 75% 75% 100% 100%

S. DmgType — SIEGE — SIEGE — SIEGE — — — — — — — — — SIEGE — SIEGE — — — — —

Slash 75% 25% 100% 75% 75% 75% 75% — 75% 75%

Pierce 75% 75% 200% 200%

Speed 50 55 55 — 1 — 120 75 — 0 — 0 0.8 — 0 0 0.25 — Slash — — 70 —

Specialist 1% 1% 25% 25%

Default 0% 25% 150% 25% 25% 25% — 150% 100% 100% 100% 100% 25% 50% 0% 50% 25% 50% Pierce 5% 50% — 50%

Pierce 75% 25% 200% 75% 75% 75% 75% — 75% 75%

Slash 0% 50% 40% 25% 25% 25% — 40% 100% 200% — 100% 25% 100% 0% 100% 25% 100% Specialist — 100% — —

Specialist 1% 1% 25% 1% 1% 1% 1% — 1% 1%

Crush 75% 75% 100% 100%

Pierce 0% 25% 100% 1% 1% 1% — 100% 100% 125% 100% 150% 1% 25% 0% 25% 1% 25% Crush — 25% — 25%

Crush 75% 25% 100% 75% 75% 75% 75% — 75% 75%

Siege 1% 1% 150% 150%

Specialist 0% 200% 100% 50% 50% 50% — 100% 200% 100% — 40% 50% — 0% 100% 50% 175% Siege — — — —

Siege 1% 1% 150% 1% 1% 1% 1% — 1% 1%

Flame 150% 150% 300% 300%

Crush 0% 1% 100% 25% 25% 25% — 100% 100% 10% 1% 100% 25% 1% 0% 1% 25% 1% Flame — 1% — 1%

Siege 0% 50% 100% 100% 100% 100% — 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 0% 100% 100% 100% Magic — 100% — 100%

Flame 150% 150% 300% 150% 150% 150% 150% — 150% 150%

Magic 100% 100% 100% 100%

Flame 0% 50% 200% 50% 50% 50% — 200% 100% 100% 200% 100% 50% 100% 0% 100% 50% 100% Hero — 100% — 200%

Magic 100% 1% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% — 100% 100%

Hero — — — —

HeroRng 50% 50% 50% 50%

Magic Hero HeroRng 0% 0% 0% 50% 100% 100% 200% 150% 50% — 25% — 50% 50% — — 25% — — — — 200% 150% 50% 200% 200% 100% 100% 200% 200% 200% 100% 100% 100% 200% 200% 50% 50% — 100% 200% 100% 0% 0% 0% 100% 200% 100% 50% 50% — 100% 200% 100% HeroRng Cavalry Default — — — 100% 200% 100% — — — 200% 100% 50%

Hero — — — — — — — — — —

HeroRng 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% — 50% 50%

Cavalry 10% 10% 10% 10%

Cavalry 0% 25% 50% — — — — 50% 100% 20% — 150% — — 0% 50% — 50% — — — — —

Cavalry 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% — 10% 10%

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Isengard Units Unit Name Ballista Banner Orc Battering Ram Berserker Explosive Mine Fighter Horde Lurtz Pikeman Horde Porter Saruman Sharku Siege Ladder Uruk Crossbow Horde Warg Rider Horde Wildman Horde

Health 2000 200 2000 800 1500 400 2400 400 500 3000 2400 600 160 400 150

Vision 520 30 175 175 200 175 30 175 50 30 30 30 320 175 175

Shroud 4000 500 250 200 500 500 2000 500 100 1500 1500 500 500 500 500

Build Time 40 30 30 25 45 30 30 30 30 45 30 30 30 30 20

Cost 300 1200 400 300 500 300 1200 400 500 3000 1200 150 300 500 400

Health 4500 1000 — 1500 1500 1500 7500 1500 1500 3000 1500 3000 3000 1500

Vision 160 600 600 — — — 400 160 600 160 600 160 160 175

Shroud 161 500 500 — — — 800 300 500 161 500 161 161 200

Time 60 30 — 20 20 20 120 15 30 30 30 15 30 15

Vision 400 30 30 — 30 30 175 175 30

Shroud 500 — — — — 300 500 1500 1500

Build Time 30 0 0 — 0 60 30 30 30

Cost 200 0 0 — 0 — 75 2000 3000

P. Damage 400 80 1000 300 — PIERCE 150 45 — 100 150 — 25 100 30

P. Range P. DmgType S. Damage S. Range 500 SIEGE — — — SLASH — — — SIEGE HERO — — HERO — — — — — — — SLASH — — 350 HERO_RANGED — — — SPECIALIST — — — — — — — HERO — — — HERO — — — — — — 300 PIERCE — — — CAVALRY — — — FLAME — —

Isengard Structures Unit Name Armory Ballista Expansion Battle Tower Castle Wall Gate Castle Wall Hub Castle Wall Segment Fortress Citadel Furnace Mine Launcher Expansion Siege Works Tower Expansion Uruk Pit Warg Pit Warg Sentry

Build Cost 1000 1200 — 500 150 80 5000 300 1500 800 600 350 500 400

Damage — — — — — — — — 300 — — — — —

Range — 500 250 — — — — — 150 — 250 — — —

DmgType — — STRUCTURAL — — — — — SIEGE — STRUCTURAL — — —

Goblin Units Unit Name Archer Horde Banner Banner Marauder Banner Spiderling Banner Spider Rider Cave Troll Fighter Horde Fire Drake King

Health 80 0 0 — 0 2000 75 4000 3000

P. Damage P. Range P. DmgType 20 275 PIERCE — — SLASH 100 — SPECIALIST — — — 75 — CAVALRY SPECIALIST — SIEGE 20 — SLASH 750 100 FLAME 300 — HERO

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S. Damage S. Range — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 —

Appendices

S. DmgType — — SIEGE — — — — — — — — — — — —

Speed — 55 — 75 — 55 50 1 — 0.8 — — 1 90 1

Slash 75% 100% 75% 10% 10% 10% 25% — 100% 75% 100% 75% 75% 75%

S. DmgType — — — — — SIEGE — — HERO

Default 25% 100% 50% 100% 50% 100% 25% 125% — 25% 50% 50% 100% 100% 100%

Pierce 75% 200% 75% — — — 25% — 200% 75% 200% 75% 75% 75%

Speed 70 0.25 67 — — 0 0.25 — 0.8

Slash 25% 100% 100% — — 100% 25% 100% — 25% 50% 100% 100% 80% 100%

Specialist 1% 25% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% — 25% 1% 25% 1% 1% 1%

Default 100% 150% 100% — — 125% 100% 100% 25%

Slash 100% 40% 200% — — 100% 100% 100% 25%

Pierce 1% 150% 25% — 25% 200% 1% 10% — 1% 50% 25% 100% 50% 200%

Crush 75% 100% 75% — — — 25% — 100% 75% 100% 75% 75% 75%

Pierce 100% 100% 125% — — 10% 150% 100% 1%

Specialist 50% 40% 100% — — 100% 50% 100% — 50% 100% — 100% 200% 100%

Crush 25% 100% 1% — — 100% 25% 100% — 25% 1% 1% 200% 1% 100%

Siege 1% 150% 1% — — — 1% — 150% 1% 150% 1% 1% 1%

Specialist 100% 100% 100% — — 100% 40% 100% 50%

Siege 100% 100% 100% — 100% 100% 100% 100% — 100% 50% — 100% 100% 100%

Flame 150% 300% 150% 200% 200% 200% 150% — 300% 150% 300% 150% 150% 150%

Crush 200% 100% 10% — — 100% 100% 100% 25%

Siege 100% 100% 100% — — 100% 100% 100% 100%

Flame 50% 100% 100% — 100% 200% 50% 200% — 50% 25% 100% 100% 100% 200%

Magic 100% 100% 100% 1% 1% 1% 1% — 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Flame 100% 200% 100% — — 200% 100% 0% 50%

Magic — 100% 100% — — 200% 50% 200% — 50% 100% — 100% 100% 200%

Hero — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Magic 100% 200% 100% — — 200% 100% 100% 50%

Hero 25% 200% 200% — — 200% 50% 20% — 50% 50% 200% 200% 200% 200%

HeroRng — 200% 100% — — 50% — 50% — — 50% 100% 200% 200% 50%

HeroRng 50% 50% 50% — — — 50% — 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%

Hero 200% 150% 200% — — 20% 200% 100% 50%

HeroRng 200% 50% 200% — — 100% 200% 100% —

Cavalry — 150% 50% — — 50% — 100% — — 25% — 200% 100% 50%

Cavalry 10% 10% 10% — — — 10% — 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%

Cavalry 200% 50% 20% — — 200% 150% — —

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Goblin Units (Continued) Unit Name Laborer Marauder Horde Mountain Giant Porter Shelob Spiderling Horde Spider Rider Horde

Health 60 600 4000 500 4500 — 600

Vision 30 175 500 50 175 — 300

Shroud 500 500 500 100 1500 — 500

Build Time 5 30 45 30 45 30 30

Cost 20 450 1000 500 2000 300 600

Health 1000 1000 1500 1500 7500 1500 — 1500 1000 1000 1500 1500

Vision 600 600 160 160 400 500 — 160 600 600 160 160

Shroud 500 500 160 160 800 500 — 300 500 500 160 160

Time 5 5 30 30 120 30 — 15 30 5 30 45

P. Damage 5 — 600 — 250 — 150

P. Range P. DmgType — CHOP — SPECIALIST — SIEGE — — — HERO — — — CAVALRY

S. Damage S. Range — — — — 20 — — — — — — — — —

Goblin Structures Unit Name Arrow Den Expansion Burrows Expansion Tunnel Fissure Fortress Citadel Giant Sentry Expansion Lumber Mill Mine Shaft Sentry Tower Spider Holes Expansion Spider Pit Treasure Trove

Build Cost 500 700 300 700 5000 1200 — 300 500 500 600 1000

Damage — — — — — — — — — — — —

Range 250 — — — — 500 — — — — — —

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DmgType STRUCTURAL — — — — — — — — — — —

Appendices

S. DmgType — — SIEGE — — — —

Slash 100% 100% 75% 75% 25% 100% — 75% 75% 100% 75% 75%

Speed — — 55 — — — 100

Default 100% 25% 25% — 25% — 100%

Pierce 200% 200% 75% 75% 25% 200% — 75% 75% 200% 75% 75%

Slash 100% — 100% — 25% — 80%

Specialist 25% 25% 1% 1% 1% 25% — 1% 1% 25% 1% 1%

Pierce 50% 1% 50% — 25% — 50%

Crush 100% 100% 75% 75% 25% 100% — 75% 75% 100% 75% 75%

Specialist 100% 100% 200% — — — 200%

Siege 150% 150% 1% 1% 1% 150% — 1% 1% 150% 1% 1%

Crush 200% 200% 1% — — — 1%

Siege 100% 200% 100% — — — 100%

Flame 300% 300% 150% 150% 150% 300% — 150% 150% 300% 150% 150%

Flame 100% 100% 300% — — — 100%

Magic 100% 100% 100% 100% 1% 100% — 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Magic 100% 50% 100% — — — 100%

Hero — — — — — — — — — — — —

Hero 200% — 200% — 50% — 200%

HeroRng 200% — 200% — 50% — 200%

HeroRng 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% — 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%

Cavalry — — — — — — 100%

Cavalry 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% — 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%

181

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182

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183

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184

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185

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186

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187

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188

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189

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190

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191

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192

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